


Genesis

by DragonlordRynn



Series: Evolution [1]
Category: Prototype (Video Games)
Genre: Attempted Novelization of the Game, Cameos, Gen, There are some easter eggs, lots of people die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-03-06 18:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 207,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13417254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonlordRynn/pseuds/DragonlordRynn
Summary: When he woke up in a morgue, Alex only had one thought: Find out who he is. Of course, Blackwatch and strange, inhuman powers didn't made things easier.





	1. Memory in Death

The first impression that came to mind was  _nothing_ . There was nothing. No sounds. No light. No feeling. No up and no down. Only darkness.

_What is going on?_

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

No feeling, no memories. Shouldn't there be memories? A life? A name? There was only darkness. But through the darkness, things began to filter in. There was something...sound?

“Hey, I knew this guy.” Words. It were _words_. Words that could be understood. Somebody _spoke_.

“He was Blacklight.”

He?

So he was a 'he'. A man. Blacklight?

“Yeah. Well now, he's ex-Blacklight.” A second voice.

What do you mean with 'Ex'? Through the darkness, more and more came to his attention. The smells- sharp and stinging. Something hot piercing him. Somewhere...in the middle?

Was this his body?

“His name is...” He paused, trying to focus on the words. “Mercer. Alex J.”

_So I am Alex?_ He tried saying that name, though he couldn't move, couldn't move his tongue. However, the name meant nothing to him. But he was Alex, wasn't he?  _Who_ was he?

“Next of kin...Mercer, Dana A.” Another name. Not _his_? Not _familiar_. Shouldn't it be familiar? “Is that his wife?” He didn't know. Because he never heard that name before.

_Before...had there been a 'before'?_

“Don't know.”

“Do you think this has anything to do with the test subject on fifty-one?”

He could  _feel_ the sudden change in the atmosphere. Before it had been... confusion... bewilderment. Now it was...fear?

“I have no idea, and even more, I don't want to know.” No! He _needed_ to know! He tried to get up, open his eyes-- _anything_! But his body didn't respond. He had a body, he was sure of it, but it just didn't move. He felt like he was made of...something heavy. Lead? Something in his head said lead is pretty heavy.

His head felt like it was hollow, though. No memories, no idea who he was, where he was...only the increasing painful hotness spreading from the middle of his torso. The more his consciousness came back to him, the more he became aware of how much his body hurt. It was as if something made of white-hot solid fire had been jabbed repeatedly into his stomach and chest, and it started to settle in his head too. It was as if something was writhing beneath his skin, curling in agony.

He just wanted it to  _stop._

“Just give me the eight-inch-blade.”

_Blade?!_

...He didn't know what a 'blade' was (there was something at the edge of his mind, but he couldn't place it), but it didn't sound too good.

“We'll start by going in through the torso.”

_Torso? My torso?!_

He didn't like the implications. Something in the mess that was his brain told him that they were going to do something to him. The burning in his chest only became stronger and suddenly he realized that he wasn't  _breathing_ .

Breathing was important for people, right?

He needed to breathe.

His eyes flew open and he let out a strangled gasp as he took in a massive gulp of air, filling his hurting lungs. It was like he was breathing for the first time, and his chest felt like it was on fire- but it didn't stop him from sitting up abruptly and staring wide-eyed at the two men in the room.

He realized in an instant that they were like he was (probably). Though they wore...bulky clothes, and their faces were hidden. For a split second he'd thought they weren't people  _at all_ , but rather something like...monsters, until he recognized their bodies. Two arms, two legs, a torso and a head. Like him.

But...why did they wear these weird clothes?

And why...why did the room smell of  _fear_ ?

One was holding a small shiny thing in his hand, the other a flat board. They backed off while his head whipped from side to side in panic. What was going on? Who were they?

What did they want to do with him?

He didn't know, and it made him  _terrified_ .

“Get the fuck out!” One of the men yelled, not to him, but to his companion. Alex (he was pretty sure he _was_ Alex) made a garbled noise, tried to tell them to stay- he had so many questions. But as his body tilted to the front, the men backed off even more.

“Get the kill team in here, NOW!” The other man shouted. Both spun on their heels and raced out of the room. Alex groaned and rolled off the...table (?) he was on, trying to steady himself.

But his legs didn't respond, so he collapsed more or less to the ground, bowling something over in his attempt. His fingers dug into the cold and hard surface he'd been on. His legs were shaking badly, and he couldn't get them to take his weight.

The room was dyed in red light and a noise started blaring into his ears. He jerked back, eyes wide.

What was going on?

Where was he?

Who were these men? And why did they run?

_Have to get out_ .

He didn't know  _why_ , but he knew he couldn't stay here. Something in his chest fluttered and slammed almost painfully against his hurting chest. His heart? He was...scared. Wasn't he?

He glanced down, furrowing his brow at the sight of red splattered across his torso. His clothes were different to what the men from before had been wearing. But he could tell that those red splotches definitely did not belong there. Out of curiosity, he poked one finger at the closest spot, flinching back when it hurt even more than anything he'd experienced before.

He ground his teeth together and dropped his hand, hoping that the pain would go away eventually. For the moment, there were more pressing matters. He knew he couldn't afford staying here. He had to get out and somewhere safe.

The men here could have told him much about himself. But they've run away.

And if he didn't want to find out what a 'Kill Team' was, he'd better get out too. He grunted and shoved himself off the table to stumble towards the exit the men from before fled through. It was...harder than he thought it would be. His legs, long and lanky as they were, absolutely  _refused_ to hold his weight and tried to go into different directions each.

By the time he actually stumbled through the doorway (?), he had managed to persuade them to move into the direction he wanted to go, at least. But he still wasn't  _out_ . He was just in another room, a long-stretched one,  _hallway,_ something in his head whispered. He saw more doors to every side.

Where was the way out?

Not through one of those other doors, he was certain of this. But... He squinted at a green sign that showed a pointed object, a rectangle and a little figure. Recognition bloomed in his head: it was a sign that told him where the exit was.

He took off in that direction, but the noise still howling in his ears made his back itch uncomfortably. Plus his clothes were too restricting. It was irritating how they pressed against his skin, how unyielding they were. Each step jostled the red splotches on his chest too, causing them to sting and hurt, and he was panting by the time he made it to a set of steps that lead upwards. But he was moving now, and he wouldn't stop until he made it out of here.

The uneasy feeling remained, though. Who was he, asides from 'Mercer, Alex J.'?

Where was he?

Why was it so important that he'd get out of here?

He could still smell the men who escaped. They went along here too, tried to escape this place as well. Why? Were they scared of him?

The pounding in his chest increased in intensity, sending flashes of hot pain rip through his body for every step he took. But it didn't stop him. If anything, it only made him move outside more urgently. Something had happened, and he needed to figure out what.

Maybe that other person could help him? That... _Dana_ ? He never heard that name before, but then again, he had no clue who  _he_ was.

His memories were gone. And he couldn't even remember the words for most of the things he encountered on his way out of this trap he was in. He hoped he would figure it out soon enough.

Grunting, he managed to pull himself up another set of steps, stumbling only a couple of times. He was so tired and his chest and head hurt and he had no idea what was going on- but he had to get away.

He turned left and ended up in a big room with walls made of see-through material.  _Glass_ . The door there was similar, and on the other side- darkness. Not another room...but dark sky and tall buildings.

_Outside!_

His breathing hitched and he instantly made a line for the transparent door. It slid open with a soft hiss. He panted, sucking in the cool evening air with his strangled gasps. His chest hurt when he dared to breathe too deeply, but the oppressive feeling of being  _trapped_ let up finally.

He noticed that it wasn't as dark out here as he thought it would be, harsh lights chased away the shadows.

And then he realized that he was in the  _open_ . He was in  _danger_ .

The pounding in his chest and head sped up once more as he whipped around at the feeling of  _somebody_ looking at him.

But he was alone.

Alex tried to move away, when he stumbled to the front with a grunt. He didn't stop moving though and managed to awkwardly use one hand for balance as he struggled back to his feet.

His breaths came out in low panicking chokes. His back was bristling. He was too vulnerable out here. He needed to find a safe place.

And then he heard  _it_ . A sound he never heard before. Something was coming. Something that sounded as if it was repeatedly beating...the  _air_ ?

He ducked behind a large object- he did recognize it, but couldn't tell  _what_ exactly it was- it had four wheels and was made of smooth cold metal.  _Car._ It was a  _car_ . Wasn't it?

The beating got louder and Alex carefully glanced around, until he found the source- in the air.

His eyes widened at the sight of another object coming down. It was bigger than the car he was hiding behind, and it  _flew_ . Its wings were on its top and spinning fast enough to allow it just that. He  _knew_ he knew this thing, or sort of thing, from somewhere. He just couldn't tell what it was, but he could tell that it meant trouble.

His head hurt too much to be thinking clearly.

His breathing hitched when he noticed the two men from before, joined by a third one, who stood on the place behind the building. The flying vehicle descended, and he held his breath when four black-clad men poured out of it. These men- they looked even less human than the men Alex woke up to. Three were completely black, one was black and white. They didn't have  _faces_ , but rather small glowing lenses- the three black ones two blue ones each, the one with the white sleeves three green ones. He was their leader, he realized.

But they also had something with them...something long. All four of them held one clutched in their hands. Sleek and black and metallic. His entire body clenched at the sight of those things. He didn't know what they were- but he knew they were  _dangerous_ . Rags of memories welled up inside of him, memories of pain and fire and noise. He didn't like it, wanted to be as far away from these things as he could- but he remained there, rooted to the spot.

The leader was currently yelling at the three men in the bulky suits. Bewilderment took over Alex and he forgot for a moment that he was trying to get away.  _What is going on there?_

He focused, trying to listen in. “Listen! I'm authorized to shoot and burn your fucking corpse!” The man in the bulky suit waved his hand and was about to turn away, when the man in black and white made a sign.

The guy on his left suddenly lifted the object he was holding and a loud crack rang out. One of the men in the bulky suits collapsed.  _Guns_ , his head suddenly screamed at him, these were  _guns_ . And they were used for  _killing_ .

Alex's breathing had stopped, his eyes were blown wide. There was red, so much red- red like the splatters on his chest. And the man wasn't moving anymore. More cracks rang out and the other two in those bulky suits collapsed too. So much red- so much  _blood_ .

Startled, he realized that they were  _dead_ . Not alive anymore.

_Shit! Get the Kill Team in here! Now!_

This was it. This was this 'Kill Team'.

He had to get  _away_ .

Alex turned away, though did keep an eye on the men in black as he tried to edge away from the car he was hiding behind, but he accidentally hooked one foot behind one of the wheels. As he moved, it bounced away awkwardly.

He froze, knowing fully well his cover was blown. “Ah. Shit.”

His legs twitched once, and he was running. He dashed to the side, hoping to get past the soldiers.

“All points! Priority Target! Priority Target!” No such luck.

Alex swore and risked a glance to the front, stopping dead in his tracks. He was trapped! A wall to his side, another wall and a metal container to the front, and these guys in black on his other side.

No way out.

He gasped when the men approached him, those guns aimed directly at him.

Speak. He had to speak to them. He had to tell them that he wasn't a threat. He needed  _help_ .

“Wa-wa-wait! Wait!” He pleaded with a hoarse voice, hands up in a gesture of submission. He didn't want to die, because he has no idea who he was. He wanted to know who he was.

“Take him down!”

They didn't want to help. Their guns roared and piercing hot fire slammed into his chest. Alex screamed in agony, as he collapsed to his knees.

_Get away_

_Get away_

_Get away!_

His body was writhing in white-hot pain, and he could smell the acrid stench of the guns and blood.  _His_ blood.

But he was still  _breathing_ . He was  _still alive_ .

The men in the bulky suits were  _dead_ . But he was still alive. Even though the guns hit him, even though the guns have eaten their way inside him.

_Why?_

“What's-” He gasped and his body convulsed once. Then his legs became steadier than they had been and he pushed himself back upright. “What's happening to me?!”

And then he smelled  _fear_ . The men in front of him swayed slightly, and stepped back when he looked at them. They were afraid?

Of him?

He couldn't stay here. He threw a look to the side, eyed the wall. It was tall, but not as tall as the other. There was wire on top of it- and more importantly- the weird metal container was below. It smelled bad, but maybe...maybe it would give him enough height to climb over the wall?

“Get him!” Alex grunted and forced himself to dash the last few steps towards the metal container, then swung himself on it.

He wanted to hop up from its surface and cling to the metal bars atop the wall, when his legs suddenly kicked out with so much strength, he found himself leaping clearly over it.

Gasping, he hit the floor on the other side, his entire frame jostled by the sudden impact.

He blinked, and slowly turned to glance at the obstacle. Too high. Too high for people to simply jump over it like he did just before.

“That was...easy...” It wasn't _normal_. Humans don't jump this high.

Alex shook his head. Whatever this was, he didn't have time to think about it. He could hear the men on the other side shout.

He had to get  _away_ .

His head whipped back to the side, where he saw a door made of metal bars. And behind it- more people. And cars. Lots of them. Maybe he would be able to hide between them and the people?

His chest throbbed again, and he bit back an agonized groan. “I need to get the fuck out of here”, he grunted as he pulled himself towards the metal door. “Can't keep this up forever.”

He was still hurting, and he needed to rest.

But he had to be  _fast_ . He grunted once, and sped up, rushing towards the obstacle between himself and the people on the other side. The metal door wasn't as high as the wall had been and Alex easily jumped over it, hitting the floor on the other side. He did spy a sign at the building on the other side. '20 th Street'. Street- yeah, that was the name.

He heard startled yelps and he turned to eye the people there. He grimaced, realizing that he was still splattered with his own blood. Because he had been attacked by these guns, and he was pretty sure they'd done so before he woke up.

Maybe that was why he couldn't remember?

He heard to roar of the flying object again, and whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of the thing bearing down on him. “No no no”

Alex started running. Breathing hurt, but he had to get away. He ran to the front, between two buildings to get to another street, then turned sharply left, hoping to shake the flying object.

There were more cars on the street, but Alex paid them no attention. He was running. Running fast- faster than them? Huh.

A part of his brain realized that he was running  _faster than them_ , and he wasn't even breathing hard. It wasn't exerting in  _any way_ , and he would have loved to know  _why_ , but then he heard the beating noise of the flying object again and all those thoughts were wiped from his mind.

He turned and continued running, through the streets and past every of those other cars. The flying thing was still after him, so Alex threw himself to the side and into another gap between those giant buildings. It bought him a few moments, but he didn't stop. Instead, he raced out of the other side and continued to go down the streets.

His body was throbbing painfully, and his head threatened to split open. He needed a safe place to rest, but not as long these men were after him. A car came at him entirely too fast, and Alex grit his teeth in preparation for the collision.

His body moved without his say-so, jumping off the floor and over the metal of the car, and he heard startled shrieks from within. There were people inside? He had no time to check when he hit the floor on the other end of the thing and continued running, without even slowing down. But the streets were too full. Too many people. Every time he saw a group of them, something drove another shard of burning-hot fire through his head and his vision briefly went white. It was dangerous- he couldn't lose himself. Not with those bastards on his ass that were still trying to  _kill_ him.

He had to get away from the streets, but  _how_ ? 

Another gap appeared on his right and he instantly changed his course, but he was going too fast and the gap was too narrow. He swore, knowing that he would collide with the wall and it was going to hurt. He braced himself, and again, his body acted on its own. He pounced off the floor, twisting his legs to the front on instinct. His shoes hit the side of the building, but he didn't bounce off or break through. Instead, he pushed himself upwards- and continued running.

_Up_ the wall. Against gravity.

Alex hissed in surprise, but didn't dare slowing down. Because he was  _running up_ the wall.

Humans don't do this. Humans can't do this. Can they?

The flying vehicle came at him again, and Alex veered to the side, his hold on the wall never breaking, even as he managed to get around the corner and rush along the side that was closest to the street. Stone and the glass cracked beneath his feet, and he heard the men inside the flying thing swear. Then he heard another roar, one similar to the guns, but  _much_ louder. The wall behind him cracked and broke open.

They used  _guns_ again. On him. They tried to kill him.

_Fuck_

He was too vulnerable here. Alex swung to the side and jumped off the wall, crossing the street when his heart made a startled leap in his chest. He shouldn't jump around like this- what if he dropped to the street? He would splatter all over the ground!

He hit the opposite building easily enough and continued running, all without even slowing down much. He forced himself to breathe again when he had stopped in fear. It wasn't normal.  _He_ wasn't normal. Could this be the reason they were after him? He didn't die when they shot him, after all.

The wall beneath his foot exploded in a shower of stone. Alex swore when he found himself flailing through the air. No walls to hold to, no floor to stand upon- only the street  _far_ below.

He coiled his body and twisted himself around, legs outstretched as the ground came to meet him. The shock of the impact raced through his entire system, but apart from his teeth being rattled and the air knocked from his lungs, he found it wasn't too unpleasant.

He didn't know  _how_ , since he was sure humans wouldn't survive this.

But the most important thing was- he  _did_ survive. And that meant he was still able to get away. Around him, people screamed, but he paid it no mind. The flying thing was still after him, so he ducked low as he sped up some more, ignoring the sharp sting from his chest as he forced himself to breathe deep to get enough air into his lungs.

He continued running, dashed along the street. The cars in front of him veered to the side, making loud and angry noises that made him wince.

And then he heard it. A loud and hateful hiss, coming from behind him. He tried to run faster when suddenly something hit him with incredible force in a blast of fire and  _pain_ . 

“Shit!”

It send him stumbling to the front, but also snapped one of those yellow cars up. It flew from the force of the impact, and careened right over his head. Alex didn't think, he just acted. He whirled around and threw his arms up in a feeble attempt to stop it. But it was too heavy, flying too fast- he wouldn't have a chance to stop it, right?

His flat palms met resistance, and his knees buckled upon making contact, so he dropped to one knee and slid back. In an instant, his body writhed and suddenly he stopped skipping all together.

The car was above him, held aloft only through his two hands, and it wasn't heavy  _at all_ .

Alex blinked, then felt his rage mount. These bastards just tried to  _kill_ him. He got back to his feet, car still hefted overhead, as he glared at the flying bastard.

“What are you going to throw at me next, huh?!” He howled. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!”

The four men from before descended from the flying vehicle. Alex's eyes flicked to them. They were still down the street...at a large enough distance. For now, he was safe.

But the black flying bastard was  _too_ close.

He wanted it  _gone_ .

Without thinking, he flung his arms to the front, chucking the car he was still holding at it.

He would never have expected it to  _fly_ across the entire distance, but it did. Wasn't too hard either, but he still watched in shock as it collided with the flying thing. There was a loud crack and the thing dropped to the ground, its front side caved in completely.

The men underneath were squashed flat in an instant.

People around screamed and ran away, while Alex just stood there, staring in disbelief.

“I-” He swallowed. “I can't believe what I just did...”

He just killed four men at least (though logic dictated that there had been more of them), but this wasn't what worried him- he had just  _thrown_ an object that was both, larger and way heavier than he was, had thrown it over an immense distance, and destroyed an even larger object. This wasn't normal.  _He_ wasn't normal.

He heard whispers, and felt stares on his back. His stomach lurched and his chest heaved. Shit. They  _saw_ . He was in the open. The streets weren't safe.

He had to get  _away_ . 

A twelve-story building to the side took his attention. The flying thing was gone, so up there it should be safer, right? He began to run, then leapt up and planted both feet against the wall of the building, before he pushed upwards. Again, it was easy to him to simply continue running upwards against gravity. He wondered how this was possible, and then he wondered how he was supposed to get to the roof once he reached it?

He pondered for the split second it took him to reach the edge of the roof, then decided to simply hop upwards. He carefully angled his body to catapult himself away from the street side. He hit the tared roof with a slightly awkward position, but did manage to stick to the landing. He huffed out and glanced back downwards, where he saw people gather and point.

Not so good. They've seen him (but then again, somebody running up a wall was sure to draw attention). He couldn't stay here.

He turned, glancing at a  _much_ taller building behind the one he was standing on. He quickly scaled the next two stories of the neighboring construction and glanced upwards. He counted fifty stories at least. It would be safe up there, he figured. Plus, he might get a good view, maybe figure out where the heck he was.

He took a deep breath, winced at the sharp sting, and started to sprint. He rushed to the end of the roof and kicked off, catapulting his body across the gap and against the glass-and-metal side of the taller building. But glass and metal made for a bad footing. Alex started skidding down immediately, and began to panic. He clawed uselessly at the surface until his fingers simply broke through the facade with a resounding crack.

He hung there by one hand, gasping and staring down at the street several stories below. Okay... _that_ was scary.

Alex swallowed and glanced up. He still believed that up there was a better solution than staying down on the streets. So he shifted his body and pushed both feet flat against the smooth surface. “C'mon”, he muttered, “You can do it.”

He exhaled once, closed his eyes, then pushed off. And this time, he did find purchase against the slippery surface. Glass crinkled beneath his shoes as he ran up the vertical surface, and the high altitude wind whipped at his clothes. He found it...peaceful. His chest didn't hurt that much up here, and his mind was silent, with no panic and the urging need to  _hide_ clawing at the back of his skull.

Reaching the roof was easy enough. Alex hit the tar with a resounding thud, and inhaled the cool night air. He heard the hum of the city below, and the low-key rumble of the large objects attached to the roof. Somewhere, he heard something chatter.

He froze and whirled around.

Two more of those flying things approached his position. Much too fast. He saw the guns at their sides swing into his direction.

His eyes widened and he barely managed to dive to the side, behind the large objects attached to the roof. They have found him again! How?!

Why couldn't they leave him alone?!

He grit his teeth and ducked lower, his hands balling into fists at his sides. They had found him. They tried to kill him. He wouldn't let them.

“Now I have to kill them too”, he snarled. The question was: how? He took down the first with a car, didn't he? But up here he was sorely lacking in viable cars...

One of those flying bastards circled the rooftop, spewing this hot fire bolts. Knocking one of those large things free.

Alex immediately made a beeline for it. His fingers dug into the metal as he hoisted it up with no great trouble, heaving it over his head. Again, it felt like it weighed next to nothing, even though it must have been several hundreds of pounds.

He snarled and chucked it to the front, but the flying bastard veered to the side and avoided it, so his projectile tumbled off the side and down to the street. Then the flying thing came back at him.

He dove back to the side, waited until it finished its circle, and ran for the next of the metal contraptions. He bent down and dug his fingers beneath it, jerking back to yank it out, just as biting pain snapped through his spine. It hurt, but along with the agony came  _rage_ . Alex growled and hefted this contraption over his head again, facing the other of the flying things. He rushed to the side, still holding onto the thing, and leapt upwards. This time he targeted not the flying bastard, but rather a little distance in front of it- and threw with all his might. The vehicle, in an attempt to get a better position, collided in mid-air with his makeshift projectile.

It spiraled out of control and dropped like a rock, the damage too great to keep it aloft.

Alex could hear the men scream, but his anger drove him to the front. The other flying bastard came at him, and he dropped back to the roof, only to rocket back upwards and slam his shoulder into the thing. The force of the impact was so strong, it threw the vehicle off course and send it spinning off the side of the building. Alex instantly grabbed another of those large objects, yanked it out of its holding, and rushed to the edge of the building, peering down. He saw the flying machine, smoking and still descending, and chucked the metal contraption after it.

Even up here, the sound of the two objects colliding was hellish. And from below, he could hear people starting to scream.

It gave him pause, and his anger bled away rapidly. He eyed the destruction, the senseless loss of life, and felt...nothing.

“This can't be happening”, he muttered as he watched the chaos below. It had been necessary. Those men had tried to kill him, but still...why didn't he feel anything? It was _wrong_ , but he didn't care for their deaths.

They weren't important. They were gone now. Alex exhaled and looked up.

And froze.

An entire city was in front of him, stretching to the horizon. There was no end to it, and thousands of giant buildings rose from the ground like needles. He suddenly felt everything crash down around him.

Somewhere out there, somewhere in this city were the answers. Answers he needed. Why they had been chasing him. Why they tried to kill him. Whether there were more of them...

Who he really was.

...Why he had those powers. He shook his head and stepped back. He had no idea what was going on, but he was going to figure it out.

He was going to find out who he was.

 


	2. Unexpected Family

 

_Who am I? Who am I really? Where am I? What is going on?_

All those questions turned endlessly in on themselves as Alex limped down the street. There were less people now, less people who could see him, but the white-hot pain in his body was still there, and, if possible, was even worse than it had been before. It had been a nightmare trying to get off that building those flying things had caught him at. He hadn't trusted his own body to survive the fall, so he had clung to the edge and slowly slid down until he had solid ground beneath his feet again. His legs had been shaking madly when he limped away and he left deep groves in the glass behind.

He was tired, so tired. His body hurt. He just wanted to sleep.

Motion from the side made him whip around startled, only to realize a moment later that it was his  _reflection_ that stared back at him. Alex exhaled and turned to face the reflective glass facade of this building, staring at himself.

_His name is...Mercer. Alex J._

He frowned, realizing that he wasn't any different from the other people he'd seen. He was averagely tall (compared to the other people he'd seen), a little too thin, with a dark jacket, one gray and one white shirt with a gray hood on his head. His skin was pale, and he had deep black rings around his blue eyes, but there was nothing that could have told him  _why_ those men were hunting after him. Or why he had those powers.

He paused at the sight of those red splotches on his chest. It were wounds. Wounds torn by those guns, he realized. They were still hurting, and now since there wasn't anything to occupy his attention, the pain only increased. He found another injury at the side of his hood, and carefully reached a hand up to touch it.

The pain that exploded from his temple wasn't like anything he felt before. Alex's vision turned white, and he barely bit back that agonized scream that tried to tear from his throat. It was  _too much_ , too much for him to bear. Through the rags of white-hot fire, he saw...pictures. Memories?

Torn, shredded, no point in figuring out what they meant. But he briefly saw men in suits, and he saw the building he escaped from. Gentek? There was pain, and he could only barely catch himself when he dropped to the front.

With grit teeth, he tried to will the agony back, but he couldn't. He saw his own eyes in his reflection- glassy and unfocused- and pushed off the facade. His body was heaving, his chest burning, his lungs sucking in air in short panicking gasps and his muscles twitched as he stumbled down the street. Away, he needed to get away. Somewhere safe.

Somewhere hidden.

_Now he's ex-Blacklight._

_His name is... Mercer...Alex J._

His body started to feel number and number, and he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He was so tired, so hurting. He had to rest.

Alex dragged himself into a gap between two buildings. There was a wall at its end, and some more of those bad-smelling metal containers. But he was alone here. It was good enough. He collapsed to the front, barely clinging to the wall for balance when his knees became weak.

He grunted and sat onto the grimy and cold floor, then managed to pull his legs out from under him to point them towards the street. He leaned his back against the wall, gasping in pain when the wounds on his chest were jostled by his movement.

But he was sitting now, and the area looked safe enough. Alex huffed out and dropped his head, trying to sleep. However, even as he closed his eyes and his breathing evened out, he remained awake. He couldn't move though, his limbs were like they were heavier than the car he'd thrown.

But the darkness was soothing, and the pain in his chest did ease up somewhat. Alex decided to count it as a win. Hopefully, when he woke up, he would be able to find somebody who  _knew_ what was going on. Somebody who could help him.

_Steps_

Alex's breathing hitched when he heard somebody approach. Somebody...who smelled just like the men from before had smelled.

_I'm not here. I'm not here._

“Hostile sighted, contact imminent!”

“On site, Ghost Team reporting visual.” Was there another one? _Fuck_. 

He had seen him. Alex's mind was racing, his brain demanding him to  _run away_ , but his body didn't respond. He was much too heavy, and the pain flared up again. He wouldn't be able to move, no matter how dangerous it was.

Faintly, he heard the click of the gun. But he couldn't run away, he couldn't move, he couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't even ask the man not to (not that it would have done him any good, they hadn't refrained from hurting him back at that building).

The crack of the gun deafened him, and another lance of white-hot pain shot through his skull. Alex's body slumped to the side, but like before, he was still alive. It only  _hurt_ , but it didn't kill him.

“What's the situation on that, over?” One of the voices asked.

“Tango down. Terminated”, the other voice claimed.

“Standby, over.” Alex's rage mounted and his eyes snapped open. Within a split second, he found the man who just hurt him, standing in front of him. He was alone.

His body moved on its own, and Alex stood up, hands balled into fists. His eyes narrowed and his lips peeled away from his teeth as a low snarl hissed from his throat. The man turned around.

Alex lunged.

His fingers grabbed a hold of the man's dark clothes. Alex had lifted cars. A  _human_ wasn't too difficult compared to that.

Without thinking, he swung around and brought the man over his head, then swiftly slammed him into the ground. He heard the sharp crack his spine made as his head snapped to the side.

But then, something happened.

Alex's body coiled and...lost cohesion. He felt his own flesh shift and slide against itself, curling outwards like snakes. His body was screaming, not in pain but in... _delight_ , when four massive limbs grew from his sides and back and grabbed the corpse in front of him. Alex reeled back, trying to get away, but the  _things_ already burrowed into the warm flesh.

And then the body warped.

Black and gray shifted into black and gray and  _red_ , crawling like worms and twisting enraged against itself as the corpse  _melted_ in a spray of flesh and gore. Alex started hyperventilating when those black things from his own body dragged the writhing mass back towards him. He wanted it  _gone_ , he wanted it away from himself. He didn't want anything to do with it- but he couldn't get away. He was still tethered to this writhing thing, and he couldn't break free.

His own body, still dangerously loose, pulled the corpse inside in a series of wet smacks of flesh on flesh. He had a split second to watch an arm fold in on itself and getting dragged into his stomach. Then, something flashed in front of his eyes.

“ _Mommy! Jimmy has pulled my hair again!”_

“ _Tattletale!”_

“ _Yes, Mrs Dobson, I have done my homework.”_

“ _Your old car? Holy shit dad, that's awesome! Thank you so very much!”_

“ _On your knees, Private, and give me fifty!!”_

“ _Manhattan? What the fuck is so important about Manhattan?!”_

“ _The fuck is that guy?”_

“ _Killed twelve of our men and threw around fucking cabs like it was nothing!”_

“ _When we hunt, we kill! No one is safe! Nothing is sacred! We are Blackwatch! We are the last line of defense! We will burn our own to hold the Red Line. It is the last line to ever hold!”_

His head was threatening to split open. Alex panted in panic, clawing the sides of his skull as everything whirled around him like a typhoon. There were images. Memories. A whole life flashed through his brain. His life?

No...no.

This wasn't  _his_ face in the mirror. This wasn't  _his_ name. This wasn't  _him_ . He  _saw himself_ , saw how he approached himself, saw how he put a bullet into his own skull. And then...icy blue eyes twisted in rage.

Alex gasped in realization. He saw the things this man had seen, had experienced his life- and his death. His death by his own hands. He was disgusted, terrified- he had just killed and... _absorbed_ this guy- and he had taken his memories, his thoughts away from him as well.

But his body wasn't hurting anymore. And it wanted _more_ of it.

_His leader._

_Perri._

He was still here. He was coming here. Alex could smell him.

What now?

His feet were rooted to the ground, his legs refusing to move. Shit, that guy was going to come here, and he was going to see him. Alex swallowed, and suddenly his body twitched again. He felt it lose cohesion again, and his world blinked out of existence.

Before he could panic, he could see again however. Startled, he looked at his own hand, watching in shock how black and red bristled along his arm and twisted it- away from pale skin to dark half-gloves and uniform. His legs were no longer tucked into his denim jeans, but rather combat boots and dark camouflage pants.

Lieutenant Perri rounded the corner in that moment and froze. Alex froze too, because what was going to happen? He stared at the man and the man stared back. His fingers were twitching on the trigger of his rifle.

Perri snapped into action and rounded on him, but strangely, he didn't lift his rifle. Instead, he waved his hand, and even though he wore his night vision goggles, Alex could tell he was scowling.

“Report!”, Perri barked at him, and Alex furrowed his brows. Did he not...recognize him?

“Where the fuck is the target?!” He didn't.

He had to act now. Alex moved, lunging to the front and grabbing the man's throat to hold him aloft. The man gasped and started to struggle, clawing uselessly at his wrist.

“Put me down!!” Alex's body twisted again, coiling beneath his skin like a live animal, and he gave in to it. He reeled his arm back and threw the man to the front, slamming him into the ground to stun him. In the same moment, he dropped his weight on him, pinning him to the floor. Before the man underneath him could scream, he punched his fist into the man's throat to silence him. Perri choked once and jerked back, trying to free himself. Alex started to panic and smacked the man over and over and _over_ again, splattering himself with blood as he shattered his skull and bones.

Then those black tentacles came out again and Alex watched in terror how the man too was warped and dragged inside his body.

More memories burnt themselves into his skull. Another life, another person he just took.

What was he?

“ _Fuckin' Goose-stepping motherfuckers!”_

“ _Haha. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Roger, 2251 Christopher Street, Apartment 15A. Got it. Saddle up, you've got a CP. Move it.”_

His last orders. His last mission. Alex had seen it clearly. Had seen how Perri and his men had broken into that little apartment in Downtown Manhattan, how they had taken that woman captive. That woman... _Dana_ .

Alex's body shivered and settled back into his original shape. There was no blood on him anymore, and his clothes no longer restricted his movements.

That woman. Dana.

“My sister”, he gasped in realization. “He knew where she is.” He grit his teeth when the memories of the break into her apartment whipped back to the front of his mind. “I know where she is.”

With a hiss, he lifted his head, worry and concern crashing over him. “I need to find her.” Because she was his _sister_. She was his _family_. She would be able to help him. She would be able to tell him about who he was. And maybe what happened to him.

_Dana..._

* * *

 

Christopher Street was in the District of the Greenwich Village. Greenwich was all the way to the southern side of Manhattan.

Yes, Alex was in Manhattan. The Big Apple. He had escaped from Gentek, a company working on genetics. He had escaped from the...morgue. Because he had been  _dead_ . But...apparently like the bullets, death didn't stick with him. He had come back to life, at the cost of his memories.

All he knew now- from the location he was in, over words for the things he encountered, to the first glimpses of these men in black- he knew from the two men he just killed. James Goodwin, Charles Perri- they were in him now. At the most literal sense of the word.

He had absorbed them, had taken everything they have been: Their memories, their knowledge, Hell, even their  _faces_ .

Who was he, and what had Gentek done to him?

Dana would know. Hopefully.

But she was in danger. Perri's mission was to extract her, before he had been called to find him. Now Alex had to find Dana, and stop Blackwatch from taking her.

His body wasn't hurting anymore, and his legs were itching with the urge to  _run_ . Alex pushed off the floor and raced up the wall of one of the buildings surrounding this alley. He knew Blackwatch was nearby, but had no desire to alert his position to them. So he decided to keep to the rooftops- and keep an eye out for those helicopters. He had taken out three until now, but wasn't too keen on doing any more damage than he'd already done. Not because of the lives he'd taken (fuck them, they tried to murder him, he would murder them right back), but because if he kept this up, someone would notice.

He lunged across another alley and raced along another flat roof, turning to the South-West. His heart leapt in his chest when he jumped off the building and hit the street several stories below, only to hop back on the one on the other side. His jumps were impressive, even though he could not cross the entire street. But it was still enough. Manhattan was large, but he was fast. He found the 8 th Avenue and followed it to the south, mindful to keep out of sight. But that wasn't too complicated, it was in the early morning hours, maybe half past one, and the city finally calmed down somewhat.

At least in most places. Alex ducked and carefully peeked over the roof edge down to the Christopher Street. Blackwatch cordoned off the entire area between Bleecker Street and Bedford Street. Boxing in the house Dana was in.

But they weren't here for  _her_ . They were just using her as bait. Trying to lure Alex. He was aware of it- they knew who he was, so they knew about her. Though he couldn't see her anywhere. Alex glanced to the side and noticed a tall building just opposite of building 2215. It was tall enough for him to watch better and scope the area out to find her. However, because of the men down there, he had to backtrack and make a wide arch around the block to prevent them from seeing him.

It wasn't too hard- gravity, distance- all this didn't mean anything to him. He reached the roof and ducked down next to the water tower. His eyes narrowed on the men on the street. No Dana, no trace of her. Blackwatch was still there, which meant that they didn't have Dana.  _Yet_ .

Alex watched the men mill about, wondering how to get past them without them noticing him, until he realized that he  _was able to transform_ . He could take Perri's appearance- and sneak in.

He just needed to find a safe place to do so, and he couldn't drop off the roof already wearing his disguise.

So he turned away and hurried to the other end of the block, then threw a glance down. No person to be seen- he inhaled sharply and stepped off the roof, hitting the sidewalk below with a solid thud. This time, the shock that ran through his system was neglectable. He furrowed his brows, and quickly shook out of it. Still not a single person to be seen, but he still rushed around the building and found a parking lot at the back of an apartment building. He slipped between two parked cars and crouched down, thinking of Perri.

His body bristled and briefly lost all cohesion. Again, his world blinked into darkness for a very short moment, and once he could see again, he wasn't in his shape anymore. With a satisfied grunt, he got up and checked himself in the side mirror closest to him.

It wasn't his face, but rather that of Perri staring back at him. The black and white uniform covered most of his body that now was several inches taller than he had been.

A part of his mind realized that it should have been disturbing and uncomfortable, but he noticed that he didn't care at all. Perri's face and his normal face...he had no problem 'wearing' either.

What disturbed him, however, was the fact he could change his clothes as well. And his own had been torn and blood stained before. Now they weren't anymore. It was as if all of his body could be changed at will. And it didn't take much more than an active thought to do so.

It was worrisome. Humans don't do this. Humans  _aren't supposed_ to do this. Yet Alex did.

Fuck, he hoped he'd figure this out better sooner than later. But first he needed to get to Dana and bring her away from Blackwatch.

He  _knew_ what would happen to her if he didn't.

He rounded the corner and was back on the Christopher Street. He remained at a brisk pace, but not too fast or too slow to avoid suspicion. The men at the street barricades snapped their spine straight and saluted him once he approached. “Sir!”

Good. The disguise was working.

Alex tapped deep into Perri's memories about his own behavior and nodded at the men, then walked towards building 2215. The two men at the entrance didn't stop him at all, saluted him as well as he passed through.

_Idiots_ .

Apartment 15A- this was a story above the one he was at the moment. Elevator was down, though. Alex turned and easily headed up the stairs, then glanced down the hallway. Nobody there.

He let out a breath and his body instantly shifted back into his original one. It felt natural to him, it was so easy. And it was effective. Creepy, but effective.

Whoever he was, whatever had happened- it had taken his humanity away from him. But it helped him survive. Several times already, when he should have died- but Dana didn't have this. She would need his help, and in return, she would help him.

He approached the apartment, and suddenly heard the sounds of struggle from within.

“Let go!” A woman hissed. The same woman he heard in Perri's memories.

“You just sit your ass down!” A man barked, followed by the sound of scuffling. “The Lieutenant is going to take care of you soon enough.”

Alex ground his teeth together and pushed the door open, taking in the scene in front of him. There was a young woman, swearing and struggling against a Blackwatch Soldier's hold. “Get off me!” She snapped, trying to free herself.

“Dana!?” This was Dana. This was his little sister. She was in _danger_. Alex's world turned red with rage. How dare these fucks? How _dare_ they?!

There was motion. Dana's eyes widened in recognition, seconds before she threw her head upwards, smacking the Blackwatch soldier in the face with the back of her skull. His mask took most of the blow, but he still let go of her startled. Alex lunged and just threw his fist to the front. He didn't hold back, and his hand burrowed through the man's armor and bones. The soldier gurgled once as he smashed his heart and tore through his lungs. Alex growled and pulled his hand back, dropping the body to the floor.

Then he realized that this was exactly the  _wrong_ thing to do. Dana's heart was racing in her chest, and her breathing came out as choked little gasps. Her body was tense and she was staring at the body with wide eyes.

Alex had scared her.

He didn't mean to.

His body swayed into her direction. He needed her, he needed her help- but Dana's breathing pitched and she curled up, bringing her hands up and squeezing her eyes shut. She was  _scared_ of him. Of her own big brother.

Alex swore under his breath and shook his hand free of the blood, then slowly lifted the other one. “Dana”, he muttered, “I'm not going to hurt you.”

She shied back, breathing and pulse jumping up. Alex frowned unhappily. He didn't want to scare her. But Blackwatch would have hurt her- or worse. “Dana”, he tried again, hoping he sounded as soothing as somehow possible. “We can't stay here. There are more of these guys out there. We have to go.”

The young woman choked and slowly pried her eyes open. “Alex?” She asked feebly. “Is that you?”

His heart skipped a beat, because now he was certain he was in the right place. Now he  _knew_ that this was his sister- his family. He nodded and she slowly lowered her arms.

“I wouldn't have-” she choked, “I thought nobody would come for me.”

“I did”, Alex told her. Because he needed her. “Come.”

Dana glanced back at the dead man in the room before she shook herself out of it. Alex heard her mutter 'Prick got what he deserved' under her breath. “How?” She asked suddenly and Alex paused, turning to her with a questioning expression.

She must have noticed his confusion, because she hurried to explain. “How are we supposed to get out there? You took this one by surprise, but if there are others, then they are going to have guns, Alex.”

Right, she didn't know guns only hurt him and she couldn't change into somebody else either- and he baulked at the idea of showing her. She already got scared when he killed that man, but if she saw him turning into somebody else, then she would run away. He didn't want her to run.

Maybe...Alex spun around and moved to the window at the end of the hallway, opening it. “Alex?” Dana asked behind him, carefully shuffling closer. He could hear the soldiers outside, talking amongst themselves.

He glanced outside. Nobody out there. No fire escape nearby. But it was only one story. Maybe sixteen feet. He could do this. “I'll jump”, he told Dana. “And then you go. I'll catch you.”

“Are you serious?” She sounded...anxious?

Alex nodded and pushed through the window. “Trust me”

“No- Alex!!” He was already out and dropped to the floor. His feet hit the asphalt beneath with a solid _crack_ , but other than that, he felt nothing. He looked around, and found that nobody noticed. Satisfied, he turned to Dana. “Now you go”, he told her.

“Alex- this is too high!” She argued and her voice pitched up a few octaves. “I'll break an ankle. Or leg!”

“That's why I'm going to catch you”, he replied. “Come on. You can do this!”

Dana swallowed visible, threw a glance back over her shoulder, then slipped out of the window and sat down on the sill. “I'm gonna flay you alive if this is a joke!” She threatened with a shaking voice.

Then she pushed off. Alex was moving in that split second, and his arms took a secure hold of her the next moment. He felt her heart hammer in her chest, felt her blood pump through her body, could smell her- and his body started  _writhing_ .

Shocked, he realized this from when he...absorbed Perri and Goodwin. But he couldn't. Not  _Dana_ . Not his  _sister_ .

_Oh no. Don't you fucking dare!_

Dana didn't let go of him, still scared from her stunt, but Alex was at war with his own body, battling for dominance.  _Don't hurt Dana Don't hurt Dana Don't hurt Dana_

Alex snarled and wrested control back over his own body, forcing his insides to calm down. Dana was everything he had left, and he couldn't hurt her. He wouldn't hurt her. He needed her just as much as she needed him. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Nobody was going to harm Dana- not Blackwatch, not him. Nobody.

Then he heard agitated voices, and his attention snapped away. “We have to go”, he growled, “They figured something's going on.”

Dana sniffed and nodded. “There's an old subway tunnel just outside of the Village”, she mentioned. “We can hide there- and then you have to tell me what the fuck's going on.”

* * *

 

They found the entrance to the subway tunnel easily enough. It was locked, but with a simple padlock. Alex crushed it in his hand and yanked it off without much more than a thought. Dana had watched him in silence, just as she did when they walked here. Alex didn't understand it. She was scared of him, and still she walked alongside him. She walked away with him until they reached this old tunnel. He could hear Blackwatch look for them, and his back bristled with the urge to  _get away_ . But he couldn't scare Dana any more than he already did. And what he could do- it would scare her. It wasn't  _normal_ . Not  _human_ .

Alex promised to himself to  _never_ reveal this to her. Not until he found a way to reverse it, anyhow.

The hatch swung open and Dana moved inside first. Alex took a moment to check for Blackwatch, but finding none, he followed after her. His nose scrunched and he coughed once, briefly, at the scent of garbage. Dana glanced at him before she went to sit down at the wall, sinking in on herself and hiding her face behind her knees.

“Jesus fuck”, she groaned. “What the fuck was _that_?”

“Blackwatch”, Alex answered truthfully. “They've been after me.”

Dana glared at him. “Really? What the fuck have you done, Alex?  _Why_ have they been after you?”

He frowned. He had no idea. Perri and Goodwin were after him because...because they were told to. And because he had killed some of their men. But  _why_ ...

“They...” He tried to focus. “Because they are told I'm...a threat?” He shook his head. “I can't remember. I can't remember anything.”

Dana frowned at him. “What- what are you saying?”

“I can't remember”, Alex repeated with a frustrated tone. “Not who I am, not who you are, what I did, where I am, why those guys try to kill me- Some things came back to me, but not all of them.” And all he did learn was because of the guys he killed. It was so _wrong_ , and Dana could not know. “Please, Dana”, he muttered, “I need your help.”

Dana shuddered as she exhaled. “You don't know anything?”

“Sometimes there are...flashes. Pictures of my past? Can't really tell.”

“Jesus”, his sister bit out. “I knew something fucked up happened at Gentek. What the Hell happened to you, Alex?”

He shook his head. He had no idea. He knew he wasn't normal, not anymore. So Gentek had something to do with it?

Dana waved her hands, now visibly agitated. “I've been researching that whole fucked up organization for weeks.” She pointed at him, though didn't look at him. “I was poking around to get  _you_ information. Don't you remember? You wanted to find out what was going on at the highest levels of Gentek- anything about the Director of Research, Do-”

_Doctor McMullen_

Alex winced when a white-hot spike dug into his skull out of nowhere. Doctor McMullen. He remembered his face- slicked back hair, narrow eyes, glasses. He knew him from his past. He knew him, because he had  _worked_ for Gentek.

“Are you okay?” Dana's voice was worried. Alex grunted and exhaled once, and the pain vanished immediately.

“Do you know what happened?” He asked instead. He needed to know, needed to know whether she _knew_.

Dana, however, shook her head and slowly got up. “I-I haven't seen you in five years. Not until you showed up at my door last month.”

Five years? Judging by her age, she had been a teenager back then. Why had he left her behind? He frowned unhappily. And now she didn't have a home anymore. Because he dragged her into his problems.

“Is there somewhere we can go?” Because she didn't deserve hiding in this hole.

Dana nodded. “Yeah. I, uhm, know a place.”

Hopefully Blackwatch wouldn't know about it, Alex thought darkly when he heard the helicopters circle overhead.

“Where?”

“Near Times Square”, Dana told him. “You think it's safe out there?”

“I hope so”, Alex replied, listening carefully to the sound of the choppers disappearing. He had to make sure they reached this place. “Let's go.”

Dana nodded again. Both started moving, slipping back out of the tunnel. It was quarter past two now, the city was mostly silent. As silent as Manhattan could become.

Alex noticed that Dana was on the edge. Every sound made her pulse jump up and every person hurrying past made her stop breathing for a short moment. No wonder, after what happened with Blackwatch. Alex ground his teeth together. How dare they? How fucking dare they? He never did anything to them, just wanted to know who he was- and they came at him with attack helicopters and guns and  _fire_ . He hated them.

“Alex?” Dana asked quietly. “What is going on?”

“I don't know”, he replied darkly. “But I will find out.” His eyes narrowed. “And I will make them pay.”

 


	3. Past and Present

 

It was half past three when they reached West 45 th Street, just off the corner of 8 th Avenue. Dana's Safehouse was another five-story brick building with a shoe store across of it. And since he hadn't seen any Blackwatch soldiers looking for them ever since they crossed West 23 rd street, Alex figured that this place was indeed secure.

However, he had frozen and his head had started to hurt like mad when they passed the Pennsylvania Station. Without knowing  _why_ , Alex figured that something must have happened there- and that wasn't just because of the yellow tape cutting everything off and the soldiers guarding it. Blackwatch was amongst them, yes, but those weren't looking into their direction, so they were no threat to them. Still he picked up his pace to avoid being in their line of view.

They reached their destination safely and undetected. Dana unlocked the door and went in, heading up a stairwell that looked more bland than the one in 2215 Christopher Street. She had barely talked, but her body had been twitching. A few times, she had looked into his direction and opened her mouth, but hadn't said anything.

She unlocked the heavy metal door at the upper-most level and shoved it open.

“So...come in”, she mentioned as she led him inside.

Alex glanced around, taking in every possible information he could. The apartment was spacious. There was a small kitchenette opposite of the door with another door leading to the bathroom nearby. A small hallway led past the bathroom and to two more doors- bedrooms, most likely. The living room was cluttered with various papers and boxes, the couch was hidden under heaps of blankets, and there was a computer and a laptop propped up at the opposite wall. More papers had been tacked to the walls, and Alex spied his own face on a 'Wanted' note. So Blackwatch hadn't just been hunting him when he ran away from Gentek, but also before?

There weren't any windows, giving the room the impression of a cave or cellar, though they were directly next to the roof exit. Alex assumed it was a cheap place to live. Dana waved her hand towards the mess. “It's, uh, a friend's place. They're gone for a year. Patagonia, or something.”

Alex inclined his head. “You do spend a lot of time here, though”, he mentioned. The place smelled like she smelled. He liked it. He liked her smell.

Dana shrugged. “Yeah. It's closer to the real action, and closer to the College, you know. So I made it my Batcave, in a sense.”

Alex frowned at her blankly, not understanding. He didn't feel like asking her, though. Instead he glanced at a pin board just above the computer instead. There were several stacks of paper pinned to it, pictures of him, of Dana, of Gentek. Sheets of paper mostly blacked out with 'Top Secret' printed on them. He nodded towards it. “Any idea what this all means?”

Dana shook her head. “No idea. It's what I dug up for you over the past month.” Her eyes started to glow with a hidden curiosity. “But I'm going to find out”, she added, “I mean, it's the story of the century, so somebody's got to know what the fuck is going on.”

Alex glanced back at his own bounty poster. “What happened?” He asked. “At Gentek? This poster's not that old.”

“No idea”, Dana replied. “You know, you walked out of Gentek a few days ago. Then suddenly, you went missing and those posters started appearing everywhere. No idea where you've been, but I got a package from you the next day.” She shook her head. “And yesterday, you're calling me right out of the blue, tell me to get my ass out of Manhattan.”

Alex furrowed his brows. “Pennsylvania Station- something had happened there.”

Dana frowned. “Yeah”, she said slowly. “It was on the News. Said there had been some sort of...gas leak, or something. Story goes that there've been a lot of casualties in Penn Station, nobody knows anything.” So that was what happened? No, it couldn't be. Somehow, there was  _more_ to it.

She huffed out and frowned. “You know, they've been waiting for me at my place, so they're most definitely at yours.”

_My place? My apartment, right?_ Alex furrowed his brows. It would make sense. He hasn't seen Dana in five years- according to her- and he had worked for Gentek. So it was certain he did have an own home in Manhattan.

He just had no idea where it was. He glanced at Dana, feeling stupid for having to ask. “Where do I live?”

Luckily, she didn't laugh or make jokes about him. She just pointed to a map of Manhattan and tapped her finger against a yellow post-it note that said 'Alex's Apartment'. “There. Place is called Renalia. Fifteenth floor, apartment 1503.”

Alex nodded slowly and eyed Dana again, worried. “You'll be here when I get back?”  _I still have so many questions_ . “It's best you stay put”, he added after a short moment when he noticed her questioning glance. “They're probably combing the city for both of us.”

She huffed out with a defeated expression. “Yeah. I'll be here. Guess I can't ask you to stay here, can I?”

“Don't worry”, he assured her, “I can take care of myself. But I have to do this.”

She nodded. “Be careful, okay?”

Alex nodded again and walked out, feeling oddly relieved to be out of the apartment. The dark wasn't what bothered him, it was the claustrophobic feeling of being  _trapped_ . 

Out here, he could  _breathe_ . He could think. Renalia Building. His old apartment. His old living place.  _They are going to be waiting there for me._ His eyes narrowed.  _They think they are in control, but they have no idea what I'm capable of._

* * *

 

The Renalia building was in the Upper Eastside. Alex knew it was a very expensive place to live, so he must have been paid pretty handsomely when he worked at Gentek.

But...what for?

Dana didn't know, and he certainly didn't either. Not even Goodwin and Perri knew. He needed to find out- and his apartment was going to be the best bet for finding anything.

He had crossed the Times Square and headed north, passing over the buildings along the Central Park. Manhattan was massive, both in size and height- but Alex was fast. And, as he sprinted up the facade of the Park Lane Hotel, he realized that up here there was no threat to him. Up here he was safe. Safe from Blackwatch.

But he wouldn't find out about his past if he kept hiding- and Blackwatch knew what was going on. Alex needed to know what they knew- and he did have the possibilities to do so. However...this would mean...Memories of screaming, of endless agony and panic flashed for a short moment through his brain, making him flinch. It weren't  _his_ memories, though. It were Perri's. But Goodwin was in him too, even though he had been dead when...when he took him.

Alex swallowed. He knew it was  _wrong_ . He knew he wasn't  _normal_ \- and he felt disgusted at what he'd done. 

But  _physically_ he felt  _fine_ . Better than fine, actually. His wounds had mended. His body was no longer hurting. And, for the first time since he had woken up in that morgue, he wasn't confused any more. He had information- knowledge. And all he had to do was to kill two men who had tried to kill him. And, he was certain, there were going to be a lot more dead bodies until he had the memories he was hunting so desperately. He wanted his life back, his identity, and he was ready to sacrifice as many of those men as necessary.

And Alex realized that it was fine by him. He knew it wasn't  _normal_ . He knew it was... _monstrous_ , but if anybody  _deserved_ it, it was Blackwatch.

He knew it. He knew how they worked. How they laughed when they murdered people. But Blackwatch wasn't a band of mercenaries- they were  _soldiers_ . Men of the state. Send to do the job no-one else wants to do.

Destroy infections.

It made sense, in a way. The thing at Penn Station. The thing Dana suspected to have been a gas leak? He hadn't told her, because he was afraid she'd want to know how he knew. He didn't want to lose her, so he lied, told her he didn't know.

But he did.

Perri and Goodwin had heard of it in their briefings. How somebody had released a deadly virus in Penn Station, killing everybody inside.

And Alex had woken up in a morgue.

It wasn't too hard connecting the dots. He had been there, in Penn Station. He had been... _killed_ by this virus. Gotten his powers through it too?

It would made sense- in a twisted sort of way. Those abilities weren't human, after all. So he was sick? He had gotten his abilities through...a  _sickness_ ? As impossible as it sounded, it was the only possibility.

Alex shook his head with a frown. He couldn't get distracted here. He had to get to his apartment, check for anything that would maybe tell him what happened to him.

Blackwatch was going to be waiting there for him. No question about that. But he was going to get what he wanted, one way or the other.

He hadn't stopped moving the entire time he was thinking, had headed north and passed parallel to the train tracks build above Park Avenue. He was moving faster than the day before. A lot faster- when he escaped from Gentek, he could only outspeed a cab in the city limits by five to ten miles, now he went at roughly twice the speed. And he did calculate in that he was currently jumping over roofs and went up walls.

Nobody seemed to notice either. He decided to count it in as a win, though he was aware he would need a better way of movement, seeing as he left an obvious trail. It was still better than running along the streets and having to deal with witnesses and thus, would suffice for now.

He paused for a split second at the sight of the Renalia building down the block. Its tall glass-and-steel facade grew proudly into the sky. And this was where he lived? Alex looked around, but didn't see any Blackwatch nearby. Could this be? He managed to get here before Blackwatch?

Or maybe they have been there already, and decided that he couldn't be stupid enough to get back here. But then the chances were that he wouldn't find anything in his home anymore. Still, it was worth a shot.

Alex inhaled and pushed off the building he was on, carefully aiming to drop into a parking lot at the back of the neighboring construction. He impacted into the floor with a resounding  _thud_ and a hollow  _crack_ when the asphalt broke beneath him. He winced at the loud noise, and quickly left the parking lot before the neighbors decided to check up on what made the sound. It was definitely louder than a falling garbage can, and it confused Alex. Yesterday, when he fell to the street at a much faster speed, he hadn't been that loud.

Oh well, looks like he needed to be more mindful about what he did. He carefully peeked around the corner and checked the street on either side. Only slow morning traffic, and a police officer at the corner of the Renalia Building. He hissed at the sight of a black tank parked casually just down the street. It wasn't as surprising as it should have been, seeing as Blackwatch was trying to find him. But there weren't any soldiers on the street nor where there any Blackwatch inside the building. Alex swore under his breath, ducked his head and quickly hurried towards the large sliding doors, slipping inside without drawing too much attention. The doorman made a surprised sound, before he cleared his throat.

“Doctor Mercer?” He suddenly asked, making Alex stop in his track. “We haven't seen you in days- is everything alright?”

Alex furrowed his brows. “Yeah”, he ground out, “No problems.”

“You haven't returned for days.”

“Slept at my sister's”, Alex replied. “I'll just grab a shower. Still have work left to do.”

He saw the doorman's eyes dart to the side for a split second. “Yeah, Doctor Mercer. See you around then.”

Alex frowned. Something was going on...but he couldn't tell what it was. He had to hurry though. He glanced at the elevator, then headed around towards the stairs. It was early in the morning, and if yesterday told him anything, then he was probably faster than the lift anyways. Plus, his neck was crawling at the idea of spending any time in this tiny confined space. The lobby of this building was already bad enough, but at least it was lit up from numerous windows and its glass facade.

So he took the stairs. He inhaled once- and started to jog. Two levels later, once he had securely figured out the length of his steps, he sped up, tearing through the stairwell as he headed upwards.

He wasn't even out of breath when he stopped harshly at the fifteenth level, and casually walked through the door to end up in a spacious hallway. Apartment 1503, according to Dana. But, even if he didn't know that, he just had to look for the doorbell that said 'Mercer' on it. He stopped in front of it with a frown. What was he going to find inside? Answers to his questions? Files? Computers? Blackwatch?

He didn't know, and it made him uneasy. The only way to find out was to go inside.

Alex didn't have a key on his person (he checked, after he left Dana). But then again, he did have super strength. He furrowed his brows and glanced at the doorknob, staring at it for a moment as he decided. Then he simply took it in his hand, crushed it between his fingers and yanked the lock out of the wood, opening the door that way.

The apartment beyond was...empty. Devoid of life, of danger. It was dark too, the blinds had been drawn and the only source of light was the single lamp hanging over the desk. Alex threw a look to the right, glancing at the desk. There was a computer, two screens, a printer and a couple of boxes. A blackboard scribbled full of what looked like chemical formulas took up most of the right wall, a bookshelf was on its right side and Alex spied a pin board with various papers tacked to it on the left side of the blackboard. He figured it was important, but the wall on his left side caught his attention. Framed pictures greeted his eyes. He was closer to them than he was to the pin board, so he decided to check them out first.

It was his face on most of them. No wonder- it was his apartment, after all. On one picture he had one arm slung over Dana's shoulder. Both looked younger than they did now, so this was before those 'five years' Dana mentioned. Next to it was a picture of two men, below that one that showed him shaking hands with another man- friends? Colleagues from work, perhaps? He had no idea. There was a picture of Dana and another girl, maybe a friend of hers? He would have to ask her.

Alex drew his brows together and turned his attention to a framed diploma at the wall. His diploma, dated several years back. Then he eyed the next three pictures. All three of them showed him side-by-side with a woman. Blonde, green eyes. The facial structure was different to his and Dana's- so they weren't related. But, there was this strange look in his eyes on all pictures. Fondness? But why? She wasn't related to them-  _Oh_ . Well, in retrospect, he should have expected it- humans were social creatures, after all.

So he was involved with that woman-  _romantically_ involved. He wished he'd knew her name. But it was gone, just as everything else had. But she did look...pretty. He slowly reached out a hand to touch her face on the picture. Who was she?

A white-hot lance of pain slammed through his skull, making him cringe back with a groan. Images flashed before his eyes, memories that re-planted themselves into his skull.  _His_ memories. He saw the Gentek building, and he saw that woman grabbing him, talking to him with a terrified expression. But he couldn't hear what she was telling him, it was drowned out by a static shrill screech. What did she tell him? Why was she so worried?

Alex grunted as the pain faded just as quick as it had started. His heart was slowing down and his breathing became normal again. He had some memories back, but he couldn't tell what they  _meant_ . He snorted and inhaled deeply-

Stopping abruptly. His eyes flew open and he whirled around, sniffing the air. Gun oil. Uniforms.  _Blackwatch_ .

Faded, but it was there. And that meant they had been  _here_ . In his apartment. They have seen what he just saw- But nothing looked out of place...papers were scattered around, pieces of chalk had been dropped near the blackboard. So why have they been here?

The printer was beeping, so maybe it had a built in fax function?

Wait...the printer was off. It  _could not_ beep. So what else was there-

_**KRATHOOM** _

The first roar of the explosion deafened Alex as it busted his eardrums and shot his balance to shit. The blast of fire that erupted from the inside of his apartment in the next moment tore into him violently, scorching his skin with its white-hot flames. Alex gasped once, then he was flying. He felt glass shatter, then wind rip at him. He was out, in the air.

He was  _falling_ .

_Fuck_

Alex grunted and twisted in mid-air, feeling the fiery orb of the explosion fade away above his head. His busted ear drums healed back together, and his surface wasn't hurting anymore the next moment. His feet hit the street with a loud crack and a loud yelp from the people around. Dust from his impact obstructed his view- but despite the explosion and the fifteen-story-drop, he was still fine.

And  _pissed_ . His apartment had just exploded, and it had smelled of Blackwatch. It was easy to figure out that Blackwatch tried to kill him. Alex's lips peeled away from his teeth in a snarl. These bastards had just taken away his chance to find  _something_ about his past.

Several rifles clicked besides him, and Alex whipped around, staring at five Blackwatch soldiers taking aim at him. Just behind them, he saw the doorman and several employes from the Renalia Building stare fearfully at the scene.  _Traitors_ .

Alex scowled at them, but then the Blackwatch Soldiers drew his attention when they opened fire on him. Several dozen of bullets ripped into his flesh, flaring like fire through his system. He bit back the pained yell and lunged at the closest soldier, hands closing around his throat. It was easy to snap his neck like a twig, and it was even easier to use the corpse to throw at the other four to down them. They swore and scrambled against the floor for purchase, while Alex whirled at the sound of an engine firing up. A man in suit, accompanied by a group of Blackwatch Soldiers, just hurried out of the building down the street, heading towards the tank.

Alex's eyes narrowed.  _He's the one. He's the one that blew up my apartment. Took every chance away from me to find out who I am._

His fists clenched at his sides. He's the one. The one that took this chance from him. He was going to  _die_ . But  _how_ ? He was inside that tank, and Alex wasn't sure whether throwing cars at it was going to crack it open any time soon.

And, to make matters worse, more soldiers- Marines- spilled out of two Blackhawks hovering above.

“God damnit!” One of them yelled, “That thing is still moving! Force it in the open!”

_Not with me_ . Alex snarled and ducked as the Marines opened fire on him. He had to get away, get to that damn tank and drag that bastard out of it. He had no fucking time to play with these idiots. He spun on his heel and started tearing down the street. It wouldn't be too hard to follow a  _tank_ , especially in Manhattan- the treads alone left a clear trail, after all.

“HQ- this is Echo One Alpha!” Alex could hear the static crackle even as he continued running, even over the shrieks of the people that ducked to the sides when the soldiers shot at him. “It's at our position!”

“ _Kill Zone on the board”_ , was the reply, and Alex stopped in shock. _“Please wait your turn and get ready to roll!”_

“ _Prepare to deploy the Strike Team.”_

The air rumbled and two more Blackhawks suddenly swooped down. Alex groaned. “Ah, shit. Here comes the cavalry.”

High density bullets dug through the street. Alex started running again, back towards the soldiers that had ambushed him, hoping that staying near them would stop the Blackhawks from attacking him.

No such luck. Instead of stopping their assault, they continued, mowing down the civilians and their own without hesitation. Trying to kill him. He seriously had no fucking time for this- that bastard who blew him up could be gone already! But he needed to shake the choppers first.

With a low growl, Alex dove behind a parked SUV and yanked it off the street. With an enraged roar, he chucked it into the first helicopter, sending it down in a tangle of broken metal and splintered glass. It's partner's demise didn't disturb the second attacking Blackhawk as it turned to take him again. Worse even, the other two started to circle too. Alex hissed and ran towards the wreck of the first one and lifted it up, gritting his teeth at the feeling of the twisted metal shards digging into his hands. The chopper was easily ten times heavier than the SUV.

He barely felt the weight as he threw it with deadly precision, downing the second.

Without breaking his stride, he lunged at the third one, but missed it by some feet. He hit the facade of a towering building and bounced off it in one fluent motion. His body screwed itself high into the air- far above the remaining two Blackhawks. Alex scowled at them. His body bristled, then suddenly it rocketed downwards. Alex hissed in surprise when his trajectory changed in mid-air so abruptly, he briefly lost all sense of direction. A second later he realized with a start that he was racing towards the Blackhawk's rotor.

_Fuck Fuck Fuck!!_

He would die! He would get chopped up by that fucking thing! He would-

His body gave off another burst of air so he went parallel to the chopper and away from the rotor- the helicopter swung in that moment, trying to circle again, when its tail whipped into his direction. Alex straightened his leg, intend to take the blow with it.

His foot met the Blackhawk's tail- and the metal tore right off. As Alex hit the street in a crouch, the chopper spun out of control and crashed into the train tracks, its rotor spraying gravel and bits of metal everywhere. The last one circled the air, seemingly hesitating. Alex let it be and instantly sprinted after the tank, hoping to catch up to it. His body was hurting again, protesting from the harsh treatment, but he was just too pissed to pay any attention to it.

The trail wasn't too hard to follow, so he sped up some more, tearing through the streets of Manhattan. But the tank hadn't stayed in the streets. The chain tracks and startled civilians continued even as the asphalt and concrete was exchanged for grass and trees. The Central Park.

Alex's eyes narrowed as he changed his course and headed for the trees, leaving the footpath in favor for a more...stealthy approach. He wasn't sure how much more damage he could take, but the way his flesh was coiling beneath his skin made him more careful.

As he found the tank again, he paused with a deep frown. This was Beldevere Castle if he wasn't mistaken, but it was crowded with Blackwatch. He'd need to get that bastard out of that tank, preferably without dying.

But how...His eyes narrowed at the sight of several rocket launchers stored at the castle's walls. He could probably run there, grab one of them and blow the shit out of that tank...but his body squirmed, making him duck and swear under his breath as a single Blackwatch soldier passed his hideout.

_Wait...This could work..._

It was  _wrong_ , it wasn't  _human_ \- but his instincts  _demanded_ him to do this. So Alex's body coiled as the man paused at his left, then turned to head back. He lunged, taking the man by surprise. One hand muffled any eventual cries, and his other hand jabbed through the man's armor and into his lungs, killing him.

His body fell apart as tentacles ensnared the body and dragged it in. At the same time, Alex fluently stepped to the front, his form merging with the thrashing shape. He grit his teeth as another set of memories burnt themselves into his brain- again, not  _his_ own, but rather someone else's.  _“What's the situation with Mercer?”_

“ _The subject is wanted in connection with treasonous activities against the United States and her allies. As of last night, Alex Mercer is the number one terrorist threat in the United States.”_

Alex grunted when those memories settled, leaving him worried. So he was a terrorist now? What had he done for them to declare him that? Why couldn't he remember?

...He would worry about that later. He had to get that bastard, had to know what he knew. Had to make his body stop hurting.

He glared at the tank in front of the castle.  _MacMarshall_ , that was his name. The bastard that blew up his apartment. He was hiding inside the armor until the situation was clear. Then he would leave and head towards a waiting Blackhawk to be extracted, as they all knew that Alex was going to try to murder the guy.

However...He glanced down at his black uniform and the military-issue radio to the front. He held Chen's rifle in his hand and was wearing his form...and nobody was any wiser. Plus... _Alex Mercer_ was nowhere to be seen. Right?

He started walking, passed right past the tank and looked around. Nobody seemed to notice him.  _Perfect_ .

The helicopter sat at the other end of an underpass, forcing Marshall to walk through it if he wanted to get to it. So it was perfect for an ambush. Alex smiled beneath the mask of John Chen and tapped his radio. “All clear”, he claimed, “Proceed to your extraction point.”

“ _Roger. En route”_ , MacMarshall replied. Alex watched as he opened the hatch and climbed out of the tank, then hurried to the underpass. _Got you now._

Alex stepped out to block his way. MacMarshall stopped, eyes narrowing. “What the fuck?” He growled. What's your problem?”

“At the moment?” Alex questioned. “You.” He pounced at the captain without him having time to process what he just said. MacMarshall jerked back, swearing, but he was too slow. Alex tackled into him, pinned him beneath his body and slammed the captain's skull into the ground. The bones shattered and the scent of blood and fear drew out Alex's tentacles. He made short process of the man, tore him apart and dragged everything inside.

“ _Doctor, try to keep this discussion high level. We need to know what we're dealing with on the ground.”_

“ _Its effect is...variable. When it does manifest, it makes the Idaho strain look like a common cold. I don't need to remind you gentlemen how close we came to the point of no return in Idaho. Mercer's body is a bomb, filled with this weaponized pathogen, waiting to go off. And now it's loose in the city. Bring it in, no matter what it takes. I'd say dead or alive, but I'm not sure those classifications fit Alex Mercer any longer.”_

_I know what he knew. His memories are my memories..._

He felt sick again as he watched those new images, knowing that those were the memories of a dead man, but at the same time, his body was just so  _delighted_ as all of its pains disappeared. And Alex understood.

Now he knew why they were hunting him. Now he knew why Blackwatch wanted him dead- he was  _sick_ . It was Blackwatch's mission to eradicate plagues, to make sure they couldn't spread. And  _he was sick_ \- he was diseased with what Blackwatch called 'Blacklight'. Something that made something from Idaho look harmless. They feared he would carry the plague out, spread it across Manhattan- a fear Alex now shared.

He didn't know. He  _didn't know_ \- he could have inadvertently made  _Dana_ sick-

_Dana!_ Fuck, what if he made her sick, what if he infected her with what he had? She would lose her memories too, and then neither of them would know what happened. And worse even, then Dana had to do  _this_ . He didn't want her to murder people and melt them down. She didn't deserve this- he had to get back to her-

“Shit!” Alex's head whipped at the sudden outcry of alarm, and he came face-to-face with several Blackwatch soldiers. Panic spiked in his chest, and he knew fully well that he was _trapped_.

He heard the click of the rifles, saw the men tighten their fingers.

Alex reacted out of instinct. His body coiled as he ducked, lifting his left arm to protect himself against the men, when his skin and even jacket bristled. The tentacles came back, thrashing along his arm and fanning out, turning into a massive flat sheet. A  _Shield_ \- he had just grown a shield!

“Take it down!”

Shots erupted from the Blackwatch soldiers and Alex swore, ducking behind his shield. The rounds glanced off it easily, some ricocheting even off and hitting the walls and floor. Alex blinked as he heard the men shout. The shield- it just gave him a little time. Time enough so he shifted his stance slightly. His eyes narrowed. He had to get back to Dana, and these fucks were trying to stop him. He pushed off the floor and rushed  _towards_ the soldiers, shield in front of his body to slam into them like a runaway train. Their bodies shattered like toys, bones broke like twigs under the force of his impact. He could  _smell_ blood, and he knew that he their internal organs just burst from his force.

And he felt  _nothing_ . They tried to kill him when he only wanted to know about his past- so he killed them in return. Blackwatch did not deserve anything else.

He sped out of the underpass and jumped off the ground immediately, startling the other soldiers around. The shots fired missed him by several feet, but when he saw the tank aim its cannon, he instantly rolled to the side and used this air dash he discovered against the helicopters to change his trajectory and get back between the trees.

Then he kept on running, sprinted away from the tanks and Blackwatch behind him. He had more information now- and more questions.

But he would have time to unravel those later on- he had to find Dana. Had to make sure she was okay. Had to make sure...she didn't catch whatever he had. Blacklight?

The shouts for search and strike teams had went quiet when he left the Central Park, and from the radio he still had he only heard the orders to search for him. Alex frowned and rushed into another alley. He dropped the radio and the rifle, and swiftly shifted back into his own appearance. It was smooth, quick, and nothing hurt. He wondered about it, because his clothes reappeared just as his disguise vanished.

He wasn't normal. Not anymore. But he wasn't sure whether he wanted it. But if he was sick, then there could be a cure. Gentek- he had worked there, so they probably knew what it was. Maybe they had a cure?

He shook his head. Wrong priorities- he had to get to Dana. He lunged off the floor and headed back topside, raced across the buildings to leave Blackwatch behind. The city was awakening, bustling like a bee's hive as he made his way back to Hell's Kitchen. Where their safehouse was.

Alex was careful to not hit the roof with full force, but the building still shook slightly. At least, he didn't leave behind a crater. He counted it as a win and headed inside, then fumbled with the lock to their hideout (he did have a key for this door, at least) and stepped through the door.

He instantly realized that Dana wasn't there.  _Dana wasn't there._

The computer was off, the light as well. Alex whirled around, heart rate spiking. Where was she? “Dana?” He called out. “Dana?”

Where was she?

He was panicking now- but he couldn't smell Blackwatch anywhere. Where was Dana?

“Dana?!”

There was the sound of a door open and he whipped around startled. Who-

“Alex?” Dana's bleary voice questioned. “Why are you so loud?”

He found her, standing at one of the doors. She stood there in only her underwear, but didn't seem to mind. Her hair was tousled and she was rubbing her eyes. Alex blinked, then tilted his head.

“Are you sleeping?”

“Were. Past tense. Was tired from that fucker and the whole 'trekking through the city because I'm a wanted felon' thing”, Dana grunted, then yawned and pointed towards the table. “I left a note for you.”

_A note?_ Alex blinked as he took notice of the yellow post-it note stuck to the top of the table- one that wasn't there before. “I didn't see it”, he mentioned awkwardly.

Dana gaped at him, then threw her hands up. “Of  _course_ ! Instead of looking around for hints, you instantly went psycho on me and shouted loud enough to wake up the block.”

“I'm...sorry?” Alex inclined his head, watching her closely. “Dana?” He asked, “Are you okay?”

“No”, she bit back, “Because we are being chased by some Black Ops bullshit, you apparently lost your fucking memories and I haven't slept in twenty-eight hours. Nothing's okay!” She tousled her hair in agitation, but she didn't appear to be sick.

Alex had feared she would be, but now it seemed that he wasn't contagious. He was just  _sick_ , and he needed  _help_ . But Blackwatch was trying to kill him instead, without him having a chance to  _explain_ . 

He was going to kill them. All of them.

“Dana?” He asked again, trying to take his mind away from the rage that mounted within him. “Can you tell me...about myself? How I was? I'd like to know more about who I am.”

Dana blinked, and the anger faded from her face. “Yeah. I can do that. But I'm really fucking tired, Alex. Can we do that when I got at least eight hours of sleep?”

“Yeah”, He nodded. “I can wait.”

He could do so. Blackwatch was out there, hunting them, but here, in this dark apartment, they were safe. Blackwatch wouldn't find them here.

With Dana, he would figure out a way to find his memories, his past- and what happened to him.

 


	4. Behind the Glass

 

He hadn't slept. He had tried. He had lied on the couch and closed his eyes. But he didn't sleep. He  _couldn't_ sleep. He was wide-awake, he could hear  _everything_ . Dana's breathing from the next room, the whir of the fridge, the hum of the air conditioner, the neighbors, the street, Manhattan coming to life.

It was annoying, yes, but it wasn't  _bad_ .

The endless questions running through his head kept his brain turning in on itself. What had happened? Who was Alex Mercer? Where did the pathogen com from? What was the virus that killed everybody in Penn Station, including him? Why was he the only one who got up and walked out of the morgue? What was going on at Gentek? Why was Blackwatch here? Why did nobody want to help him?

Not knowing was worse than the noise of the city, but it wasn't the  _worst_ .

It was  _them_ . Goodwin. Perri. Chen. MacMarshall.

They were  _there_ . In his head. Their memories were whirling around the other, taking over the empty space where  _his own_ were supposed to be. They didn't stop either, every time they circled through their entire lives up until the point Alex...murdered them. He flinched every time he heard their screams, then they were silent for a little bit, before they started again.

Four dead men- whispering at the back of his mind. At that point, Alex would have gladly traded  _this_ for a bullet to the head, knowing it wouldn't kill him, but at least the sharp pain would override their voices.

That was when he decided to abandon his attempts and walked out of the apartment to go for a run. He had remembered just in time to leave a note for Dana, putting it on the screen of her computer so she knew he was out there again.

This was how Alex ended up running across the buildings of the Times Square. The sharp wind, the focus he put on not falling off  _The London_ drowned out the voices that weren't  _his_ . It was... _exhilarating_ , this feeling of just running, just moving. Up here, he was free. Nobody was there to look at him, point fingers or guns at him. Nobody saw him, nobody told him what to do- and the voices in his head were silent too.

He stopped as soon he flipped over the edge onto the roof of the hotel, and glanced at nothing in particular. Slowly, he brought his arm to the front, eying it. He clenched his fist, and his arm- jacket and all- bristled. The shield popped back into existence, but now since he was alone and not in danger, he felt the way his skin and muscles beneath  _shift_ . It wasn't unpleasant, but weird at any rate. His hand looked completely normal, as did his shoulder, but his forearm was...strange. Black tentacles snaked out of his sleeve like wires, and had taken over most of his arm. The massive black shield stood out of his jacket like somebody had pasted it there. But it felt...natural.

Alex slowly reached out with his free hand and poked at the dark material. It felt tough, hard, but was flexible all the same. Like a bug's armor. Chitin? It was light, but it had been enough to keep high-speed bullets away from him. Alex flexed his fingers and willed the shield to vanish. It disappeared in a flurry of black and red, and his arm looked normal again. Huh.

He wasn't sure what he should think of this- but those transformation powers  _were_ handy.

He wondered what else he could do. He was fast- and could easily climb and  _run_ up every wall in existence. He could jump far enough to get from one end of a building to the other, without touching the street between. He could, apparently, hold and throw weights of roughly ten tons without so much as a thought. He could absorb people, get their faces to turn into- and he got their memories. As unnatural as it was, as damning and  _monstrous_ \- this last part was the driving force that made Alex work. He  _wanted_ to know, needed to know his past- and somewhere out there, somebody knew it.

He was going to find out. And if Blackwatch tried to stop him from doing  _just_ that, or tried to attack Dana, then he was going to kill them. All of them.

But Blackwatch was dangerous. He knew that much. He needed to be able to protect Dana and himself. The Shield was a good start, but he had to know more about himself. He needed to know how strong he was, what abilities he had, where his limits were- what else he could do. Taking faces and deceive others would only work for so long, after all.

But he was going to learn. He would find out what had happened.

With a snort, he ducked and sprinted to the southern edge of the roof, coiling his muscles to jump off the  _London_ . Fifty-four stories. And he was doing them in free fall. Without net or parachute. Fear was spiking in his chest- but he needed to  _know_ .

Ten seconds later both his feet hit the street. The Times Square shook briefly, cars around him were flung up so violently, they cleared an area of several square feet around him. People yelled in surprise and shock, some screamed. But Alex was fine. Nothing had happened, asides from his teeth being rattled slightly. He got up from the crouch he had landed in, and glanced around, almost bored.

He had torn a good-sized crater into the asphalt from which every vehicle (and pedestrian) had been thrown away. But other than that-  _nothing_ . The people stared and whispered, or pointed upwards, and he spied a few police officers looking positively rattled. He grunted once, then started to sprint down the Times Square, before he headed east. He should be hiding from Blackwatch, should make sure they wouldn't get their hands on him- but they weren't supposed to know where Dana was. So if he could draw their attention only for a short moment, make them believe he was in a different part of the city, then they would put their efforts into checking the wrong area. It would give him the time needed to figure out more, find anything he could use against Blackwatch.

A solid idea. He briefly toyed with the thought of going back to his apartment, see whether he would be able to salvage anything, though he quickly decided against it. Eastside was still stirring like a hornet's nest, and while he was actively trying to lure Blackwatch away from Dana, he had no intention to head back into their territory.

...Better not go  _that_ way, then.

Alex turned to the south and sprinted off, heading towards the Rockefeller Center. He was still on the street, trying to build some momentum- when he spied a tank just down the street. Olive green instead of black, so it was one of the Marine's. Alex wondered for a split second about the amount of tools they brought in- he was sick  _and_ declared a terrorist; however  _tanks,_ helicopters  _and_ Marines were a bit overkill, weren't they?

Something was not right.

Alex's eyes narrowed when he heard the Marines give a short shout of exclamation. They had recognized him. Immediately, he jumped off the street to hit the building facade, then changed his trajectory to head upwards.

“Shit!” He heard the men swear, “That's him!”

_Noooo. Whatever gave you that impression?_ He thought wryly, even as he dove to the side and went around the corner of the building to get out of their sight. He heard them yell for reinforcements, but by the time they had come to a decision, he would be long gone.

He'd stick to the rooftops for now, maybe show himself somewhere over in SoHo, to force them to split up. Blackwatch wasn't as large as the Marines were, but they were endlessly more dangerous. Alex  _knew_ . From Goodwin. From Perri. From Chen. From MacMarshall.

He knew he had to play it careful, and he knew that in his current state, he wouldn't be able to survive long against them. He needed more information, more knowledge...more abilities. It should have made him sick- but he only saw possibilities in his power to take  _every_ last bit of memory from whoever he chose.

He didn't even know what a helicopter was when he woke up, but now he could effortlessly take an M4 Carbine rifle apart, name all parts by heart, put it back together and shoot someone in the face. A skill he most likely did  _not_ have before.

Which meant he had taken it from the four men he killed- but  _how_ ? Memories, skills, abilities, the brain itself- everything was just meat in the end, correct? But this would imply that he was able to  _read_ someone's brain matter...when he was absorbing them. It was terrifying, it was unnatural...and it had such a huge potential.

Combined with his ability to literally _transform_ into whoever he absorbed, the idea of taking their very memories, their _being_ and personality, allowed him to go where only they could walk. He would know their secrets, he would know their plans. And they wouldn't know.

It was a tempting idea.

But was it worth to kill a person, a  _living_ human being, just for knowledge? Alex furrowed his brows as he lunged across an alleyway to cling to the facade of the next building.  _Yes_ .

Three out of four had tried to kill him, after all, and the fourth had been... _necessary_ to get to MacMarshall.

Was he  _willing_ to sacrifice more? Alex was sure he would. He wasn't sure whether he really  _wanted_ that though- this nauseating sight of his own body melting those people down, the way his own flesh twisted and grated,  _fell apart_ and reformed, the screams of those men that continued to echo  _inside_ his head. It was terrifying, but at the same time, it felt  _so good_ . When he had grabbed Goodwin, all of his pain and exhaustion had vanished in an instant.

And he had grown stronger, faster, more resilient- had even gotten his shield from it. All he had to do was murder someone who tried to murder him- a fair trade in his opinion.

They did not matter- Dana and he did. They were just the pawns, but Alex had no intention playing by the rules.

_No_

His eyes narrowed. Blackwatch had tried to kill him, had tried to kill Dana- and he was going to make them pay. If he got knowledge and powers out of it, then he didn't mind. If anything, it made him  _stronger_ . And he'd take everything he could get. If it meant killing and absorbing some of those bastards, then fuck it- he was going to do that.

He wasn't going to tell Dana, though. Hell, he  _shouldn't_ be doing this in the first place- but he just couldn't sit still. His entire body felt more natural, more at ease when he was moving than it did when sitting still and having nothing to occupy his mind and the voices within.

He glanced to the side for a brief moment. Turtle Bay. The UN building. Not where he wanted to be, this place was full of security cameras. He turned and headed further south, heading across the buildings along the 2 nd Avenue, where he spied the Chrysler building jutting out of the surrounding area. And besides it- his eyes narrowed. A small group of Marines- and Blackwatch. He did recognize a few of the men- they've been with Perri, and they've been near MacMarshall. As they didn't belong to either man's squad, it was possible they had information Alex could use.

The question was, how was he supposed to get to them? They were armed- he did notice several grenade launchers and at least one missile launcher- and he was alone. Trying to sneak closer would maybe cut it, but he doubted they'd react friendly to any civilian walking up to them, and he did doubt they wouldn't take any notice if another Blackwatch Goon just walked up to them.

However...there was a building with a low roof just opposite of where these guys stood- and there was another parking lot in the rear of it. Maybe...maybe he could just grab one, hoist him over there and...figure out what he knew?

His body clenched with a notion he had felt first when he woke up- a feeling that had slightly subsided after he found his first victim.

_Hunger_

It should have scared him- the parts of him that had been humans before cried at him to not do this, that it was monstrous- but Alex didn't care. These men tried to murder him. He only defended himself and Dana.

A life for a life.

Killing them gave Alex memories, information, powers, health and it reduced the amount of enemies. No drawbacks other than a few voices at the back of his mind. Voices that lost all meaning to him in face of the advantages he gained.

It was frightful how easily he decided to doom others. All to reach his own selfish goal.

He did wonder whether he was doing the right thing as he dropped off the roof and charged at the small group of soldiers. People were going to die, and he didn't care in the least.

* * *

 

Alex was gone. That was the first thing Dana had noticed when she had woken up from a restless sleep of tossing and turning.

She did find the note he had pinned at her computer, and had managed to decipher his horrid chicken scratch he called hand writing. Amnesia or not, Alex still couldn't write neat to save his life. At least this was the only thing that was still  _Alex_ . She didn't know what had happened, but when he first appeared in her apartment, she hadn't recognized him. The leather jacket she recognized- it had been a present from her and her friends when he left for Manhattan to study. But everything else about him-

There was  _nothing_ she remembered from her younger years, nothing of that constantly angry, but sweet and awkward boy she had lived together with. There was nothing of that arrogant and demanding jerk who contacted her weeks ago. This Alex was someone different, but he had come for  _her_ . He had come to rescue her from this soldier.

Dana shuddered when she remembered how downright  _cold_ he had been when he put his fist through the fucker's sternum. Right through, didn't flinch or blink the whole time. The only concern he had shown was for  _her_ , not the guy he just killed.

He had looked  _hunted_ when they escaped from her apartment (jumping from the window, of course), he had been nervous- but nothing had drawn a panic reaction out of him. He had been cold and calculating, and then he crushed a fucking padlock in his hand like it was nothing. It felt like a bad dream, not something that happened just the day before.

She always knew Gentek was fishy, but now Alex comes back to her with superpowers and couldn't remember anything about himself, but still knew about who was hunting them and how to get to safety without being seen. She needed to know what was going on.

Which was why she turned all her attention on her computer and the laptop. Something as big as this- it couldn't be kept under cover. However- her brows furrowed. Something...something was  _wrong_ . She checked a side, went to refresh it- and it was  _gone_ . Chatrooms, blogs, even YouTube and Twitter were taken down faster than she could check them. The pages of the  _New York Times_ and others had been heavily affected too- nothing  _concrete_ , nothing about Alex. The best she found was an article about damaged windows all over Midtown.  _Someone_ had edited all of this. But  _who_ had the power to do so?

Alex probably had already figured out. He was smart like that- well, he used to. Before the movie amnesia and superpowers. That was why she looked into his laptop. The one that turned up  _after_ he disappeared.

“Jackpot”, Dana mumbled at the sight of dozens of 'Top Secret' marked documents. Bad quality, so Alex must have taken pictures of them instead of scanning them. Most of what was written there made no sense to her anyways, but she wasn't easily scared. She did go to college to become an investigative reporter, after all. Got to start learning the ropes _somehow_ , right?

“Find anything?”

“JESUS FUCK!!” Dana more or less flailed as she whirled around, nearly dropping out of her chair. She had been so taken in by the files, she never heard anything. But now her heart was racing madly in her chest, her breathing came out in panicking gasps and her eyes were blown wide as adrenaline raced through her body.

She hadn't noticed it earlier, but when Alex was gone from her hideout, the place felt... _safer_ . More normal. Now it was flooded with rolling waves of uneasiness, of the subtle feeling of  _danger_ .

Because  _he_ was there. Right behind her. She hadn't heard him approach.

At least he had decency enough to look confused. As if he hadn't realized that he just scared her half to death.

Dana breathed deeply and glared at him. “Don't do that.”

He blinked, then frowned for a split second, before he looked away. “Sorry.”

She exhaled, all anger at him gone. “It's okay”, she mumbled. “So...we didn't talk back when you got back from your apartment. Find anything?”

Alex only shook his head. “There's nothing left there. Blackwatch got there before me.” He furrowed his brows. “Blew it up. Got away just in time.”

Dana frowned. “Oh. I'm sorry.”

He shrugged. “Don't be.”

Again, he was being so weirdly silent, but not calm. She could sense it, boiling beneath his skin, the rage, the hatred. Blackwatch? That was their name, right? Alex had exploded in the past, but this Alex was calm, silent- and  _lethal_ . It scared her, but she somehow knew that he wouldn't harm her.

He had always looked after her, had always protected her- and even movie amnesia wasn't going to change that.

“Dana?” She was slightly startled by his voice (because fuck! It never sounded like that!).

“Yes?”

His eyes were distant, but still focused on her. “You said you'll tell me about myself.”

It was an innocent enough question, but it still didn't sit right with Dana.  _Alex_ never asked like that, he  _never_ showed any weaknesses- but when he was looking at her with this empty expression he just seemed so  _lost_ .

She groaned. “Ah. Fuck. Okay, I'm gonna do it, but you have to stop doing that.”

“What?” He seemed puzzled.

“That!” Dana pointed out. “The whole 'lost puppy' shtick.”

“Lost puppy?” Alex looked genuinely confused, “What puppy?”

She sighed. “You are the puppy, Alex”, she explained slowly. “I mean seriously. You come here, follow me around like that puppy because you don't know anything- but you still got teeth and you'll use 'em.” Teeth and fists, apparently. She shivered when she remembered how he simply punched through a grown guy. She exhaled, then turned to him. “What do you want to know?”

“How was I?”

Dana blinked. “Uh...why are you asking that?”

“I...” Alex paused for a split second before continuing. “I... overheard some soldiers. Talked about how they got debriefed. By McMullen.”

“And?”

“McMullen described me...having a psychopathic disregard for others.” He tilted his head. “Was this true?”

Dana furrowed her brows. “I can't really tell”, she admitted. “Because I haven't seen you in five years. Like I said, you walked away and went to college when you were twenty, leaving me with friends. I got the occasional letter from you and you came back to visit at least during Christmas and Thanksgiving; but as you started working at Gentek, those visits stopped and the letters became fewer and far in between. Eventually, you completely stopped all of this. I came here too, hoping to reconnect with you, but didn't manage to do so. Until you suddenly stood at my door, telling me to check up on Gentek.”

He inclined his head, brows drawn together.

Dana shrugged. “But I could tell that we...lived ourselves apart. You were... _different_ to the Alex I've known. You know, you were the one who raised me, took care of me.”

“No parents?”

She scoffed. “Not that I know of. Mom was in prison for a while. Got out, had me, and you were given back to her from Childcare. She never had time. Was either too drunk, not home, or whoring around with some guys. You were always there for me. You made sure I had food, toys, was taken care of. And you always protected me.” Dana ran her hand through her hair. “When mom was on drugs, she got volatile. And you were mainly her target. But you always went between us when she had it out for me. Eventually, you got too big to be pushed around. And then she died. You got custody over me.”

He frowned at her, his stupid hood shadowing his face in such a way she couldn't tell what he was thinking. But she could see his grit teeth. “Hey”, she tried to comfort him. “That vile woman is dead, Alex.”

“But I abandoned you”, he ground out with a sudden hateful snarl. “After all this- I simply abandoned you. And what for? To be hunted like an animal?!”

She saw his fist curl and his teeth shine in the gloom of the hideout. “Blackwatch declared me a terrorist!” He snapped, “They told the Marines that I am a threat to them! And they come at me with guns and helicopters and  _tanks_ !”

Dana paled. Alex? A  _terrorist_ ?! Oh Hell. This was asking for all kinds of problems. Fuck, they had to find a way to reverse this- Alex couldn't be a terrorist, because then he would never be able to live normal again.

“We-” She choked, “We gotta get out of the city.”

“It won't work”, Alex replied darkly. “They closed the tunnels, the bridges- and I've seen them lock down the subway too.”

_What?!_

“Oh no”, she moaned. “We're trapped!”

“But they are too”, Alex suddenly said with a low growl. He actually _growled_. “Don't you see, Dana? These fucks are here too. I will find them and I will _kill_ them.”

She had no doubts he would- and that scared her. It scared her almost more than his eyes glowing up. “But that is our chance”, he mentioned. “If I find them, and make them talk- then are you willing to expose them? Will you tell the world what is going on here?”

Dana's eyes widened. “Alex!” She bit out, “We're talking about Black Ops of the worst kind!”

“I know. But I am not afraid of them.” He tilted his head. “They know who I am. They know what is going on. And I will find out.”

Dana felt a shudder run down her back. Somehow, she didn't like the way he just said this. There was something he was hiding. Something... _sinister_ . But he was also her big brother. And he had always protected her. If anybody would find a way out, it was him.

So she nodded. “I believe you.”

“Good. I-” He hesitated slightly. “I better get out there again, find someone who might know something.”

Dana had no idea how exactly he was going to do that in a city of one and a half million, when she remembered her work. “Uh- before you go, I found something.”

He paused and glanced at her, so she was certain he was interested. “I've been looking at your laptop.”

“Laptop?” He leaned to the front, one hand flat against the desk and the other on the backrest of her swivel chair.

“Yeah”, she nodded towards the piece of equipment sitting next to her computer's keyboard. “It came in a package the day after you went AWOL- I told you about it. I brought it here. Look.”

She tapped a few files and pulled up a few pictures. Some looked like something straight out of a sci-fi horror flick, but one showed a young woman with unevenly cropped red hair and numerous lacerations on her face.

She saw the frown of concentration on Alex's face shift slightly. “I-I've seen this girl before”, he mentioned.

“Well it makes sense”, Dana agreed. “There are only two names in the file- one is yours.” She glanced at Alex. “The other is this woman, Elizabeth Greene.” Alex pulled back, and she craned her neck to look at him. “She's still in isolation at the Gentek building.” She frowned. “Do you know who she is?”

Alex shook his head. “Whoever she is, she knows more than I do.”

Dana looked back at the picture. “My God”, she muttered, “She's just a girl.” Younger than her, in any case. “What kind of fucking monsters are these people?” Because she's seen the entrances, calling the woman a 'subject'. Not even a  _person_ anymore.

“I can't remember”, Alex ground out, looking pained.

Dana arched an eyebrow. “You do know this was a rhetorical question, right?”

He blinked at her in confusion. Dana sighed. “Fine. Go there. Figure out how to get to Greene and find out what she knows. Just...” She trailed off. “Be careful, okay?”

“I always am”

* * *

 

Gentek. His old workplace.

Alex was crouching low on the building three blocks away from Dana's Safehouse, expression dark. He knew that sooner or later he would have returned to this place, but he hadn't expected it to be that soon- he still knew precious little about what they did there, and he knew even less about himself.

But that was about to change. He was going to meet this Elizabeth Greene and he was going to ask her. She would know, and he wanted to know.

He got up and turned into the direction he knew Gentek was at. Gramercy.

Height was going to be his ally, so he glanced at the towering buildings of the Times Square. He started to sprint, tearing open the tared roof he was on, before he pounced against the smooth glass-and-steel facade of  _The Westin_ . He went up, glass crinkling beneath his shoes as he sprinted. He felt the flesh of his lower calves squirm, felt the glass embed itself into his skin before dropping. But it didn't stop him. Instead, he willed himself to go faster. The air was whistling sharply at his skin, tousled his hair beneath his hood, but he easily ignored it. His eyes were fixed on the edge of the roof forty-one stories off the ground. His muscles coiled as he sprinted up to meet it- and once his feet left the facade, he just  _kept going_ straight upwards. The immense speed carried into a powerful leap, and the hotel spiraled away beneath him. Twenty feet, fifty- Alex kept going upwards until his momentum petered out- easily another one hundred and fifty feet above the Westin. He pulled his knees closer to his body and glanced at the Microsoft Center just to his south. With a short thrust of his arms, he changed his trajectory in a blast of condensed air that boosted him into a different direction.

However, he did miss the tall building by several yards, free-falling again. It didn't scare him as much as it had done this morning, but there was still the pleasant buzz of thrill.

He  _felt_ his leather jacket ripple ever so slightly, but also his pants, his arms and even fingers. It was a strange feeling, and it got him curious, so Alex uncurled his body some five hundred feet off the floor and leaned to the front. In an instant, the wind whipped harshly at him, snapping his legs back- and he stopped falling.

Alex blinked, risking a glance to the side when he saw something like red mist spread from his hands and arms, trailing behind him. He was still going fast, but not downwards- instead, he was...well  _gliding_ was the closest comparison. Gliding at a sloping arch and descending at a much slower pace, while also crossing the next two blocks without even touching down.

As he reached the third block, he was low enough to touch down on another building, instantly jumping off it and resuming his glide. While not real flying, it did allow him to move a lot faster through the city since he didn't have to run up buildings. Three minutes later he realized he could employ his 'Air Dash' ability to give himself another boost, and stay in the air for a longer time.

_Fuck Yeah_ .

A grin split his face. Now Blackwatch wouldn't know to stop him- not when he would be able to move through virtually half the city in the time it would take the men to gather their gear and leave the compound.

And this meant, they wouldn't be able to stop him from reaching Gentek.

_Perfect_

* * *

 

Alex had reached the towering building far faster than he'd ever thought. The last half mile he had to slow down and keep to the back alleys and parking lots, as several Blackhawks patrolled the sky. Something was going on at Gentek, something that didn't look like it had anything to do with  _him_ . He was sure. So when he reached the building, he paused atop the hospital across the street and spied down. He saw Marines guarding the building, but no Blackwatch amongst them. But there were no civilians in the closed-off courtyard of the building either, and the glass doors and lobby had been welded shut with metal. Alex's eyes narrowed as his back bristled. Something was  _not right_ . He'd need a closer look.

_I've got to find someone important who I can use to get into the facility_ ...He glanced at the patrols keeping the civilians out. One of them...one of them might get him inside the courtyard. Then he could worry about finding someone with rank.

He headed to the back and dropped into the parking lot, then carefully peeked around the corner.

Nobody had reacted to the crack of his impact. Alex exhaled, then eased down the street, heading to where a group of Marines watched the civilians. He was careful about keeping behind the pedestrians, so they wouldn't get a clear picture of him, but then quickly veered to the side. Nobody saw him, so he moved behind the nearest Marine. He was in the very rear.

The others never noticed Alex grab the man's throat, snap his spine and step to the front and into his shape. With a hiss, he let the memories assault his brain. “ _Keep your eyes open, there's a Runner on the loose.”_

Runner? That wasn't the first time Alex had heard the word, but he couldn't say what it meant. It was directed at him, though. So he was a 'Runner' to the Marines and Blackwatch? Made sense, he did run from them, after all.

He shook his head, then pulled back. The other Marines hadn't noticed. He intended to keep it that way as he purposefully strode past the barricade and headed inside the compound. Marines everywhere. His eyes narrowed.  _These spooks aren't just digging in- they're taking over. Need to find someone with rank._ And then he noticed the Marine striding up and down like a peacock. 1 st Lieutenant Todd Chupka. The guy who had the access codes.

The guy Alex had to target if he wanted to get into Gentek.

Chupka was currently moving to the rear of the building, Alex trailed after him. He stopped quickly at the sight of a large cylindrical object in the corner of the courtyard, head tilted slightly to the side. He  _knew_ what it was- it was a viral scanner, designed to pick up individuals that were sick. His kind of sick, actually.

So getting to Chupka was going to be tricky- he had to stay out of the scanner's range to get closer- or he could hurry through, but risk it alerting the others.

_Screw this_ .

Alex inhaled once and picked up his pace, keeping as close as possible to the corner of the building, while keeping an eye on the scanner. It beeped once and flashed yellow- but he was out of its range before it could beep a second time.

“Fuck. This is the third time this piece of junk does that”, one of the Marines milling about complained to his companion.

“Yeah. Guess these eggheads ain't better as they say.”

Alex exhaled slowly. Good. They thought it to be a malfunction. Good. Now to Chupka...

He moved behind the Lieutenant and easily followed after him until he went to pass a few crates. Out of sight for just a split second. Alex pounced.

He was upon the man within the blink of an eye, one hand pressed firmly against his face, the other grabbing his throat and ripping it out. As the man choked, Alex stepped to the front and virtually slid into his skin, discarding the Marine's he'd wore before.

“ _What the Hell happened in there?”_

“ _Team One dropped comm just after they entered the holding cell area.”_

“ _That's it, close it off. No one goes in or comes out of the Gentek building. I want it sealed with Level Four Protocols!”_

Alex grunted and moved back towards the entrance. Chupka had it sealed, and he alone could walk into it.  _Something_ had happened in there, something that had, apparently, killed an entire team of highly-trained Blackwatch Soldiers. And Elizabeth Greene was still in there.

He needed to find her.

He slipped inside the building after having punched in the code only Chupka knew, then headed upwards. After the first two levels, he realized that nothing was okay. He could smell death and decay even down here, so he dropped his disguise and rushed upwards, tearing through the stair well.

Something had happened here. Dozens of men were  _dead_ . Hopefully not Elizabeth Greene. She was the only one who could give him information.

But as he continued to climb level for level, he realized that the air became thicker with the stench of blood and death. He didn't like it.

At the 49 th level, he stopped, eyes narrowing on something  _red_ crawling along the walls. Not blood...but rather something like veins. They were pulsing and slowly creeping down. Alex growled at it, at the stench they emitted, at the pulsing headache they caused in his skull. His body was writhing beneath his skin. He didn't know what it meant, and a part of himself was actually feeling  _at home_ here. But Alex was disgusted by it, and he realized it as something unnatural, a  _threat_ \- to himself and Dana.

He needed it gone, but the better question was, where did it come from?

With a low grunt, he started moving again, heading the last two sets of stairs upwards. Level 51.  _Do you think this has anything to do with the test subject on fifty-one?_

Greene was this test subject, he was certain. He needed to get her out of here, stop whatever they were doing to her.

The fleshy veins had grown large by the time he reached the platform and the door leading deeper into the complex. He pushed against the door, finding it jammed, and from the ungodly squelching noise from the other side, he could tell that it were those veins that blocked it. Alex snorted and stepped back, lifting one foot to violently kick the obstacle down. After getting into this god-forsaken place, a  _door_ wasn't going to stop him.

The door flew across the hallway and shattered against the far wall, but Alex just froze.

There were some veins, yes, but most of the level was coated in writhing reddish flesh. He saw it pulse and squirm as it continued to grow. Dead Blackwatch soldiers littered the ground, some where already overgrown with the stuff, some stuck half through doorways.

And everything reeked of death.

He hated it. Alex growled and started moving, deeper into the inside of the building. The steel grates beneath his boots creaked as he passed. For a genetic company, there was too much steel and grates. So Gentek had to hide something. Something that had to do with this Elizabeth Greene?

In the very end of the level was a massive open room. Alex had passed several security locks on the way here, but all of them were broken. The fleshy matter had increased in size as well, leaving him only a narrow hallway to walk through. But here, in the center, was  _nothing_ . No flesh, no veins- at least, not on the floor. The walls and the ceiling were still coated with the stuff, though.

A glass-and-steel-cell sat at the very center, hooked up to several computers. There wasn't much more than a steel slab in the middle of it, and on it- Elizabeth Greene. He recognized her from the pictures he'd seen, but she looked so...small in real life. Her head was down, her knees pulled towards her chest and her arms were slung around them. Her body was wrapped in a dark suit, one specially designed to draw as many samples as necessary from her, but one shoulder was dyed red with old blood. Alex wondered whether she was aware of what was going on here.

He glanced upwards, towards the writhing and pulsing flesh. It was warm in here, almost stifling hot. He needed to get Greene out of here.

But...the locked door was gone, lying shattered at the closest wall. She could have already left, if she wished so. Maybe she was afraid?

Alex decided to approach her. The three metal steps beneath him creaked slightly when he moved into the cell's doorway. The woman didn't react, kept her head down all the while.

“Elizabeth Greene?”

The woman still didn't any sign of acknowledgment, so he stepped closer. Maybe she hadn't heard him? When he was only a step or so away from her, she finally lifted her head and brilliant green eyes settled on Alex. Her expression was blank, no sign of what she was thinking.

Her mouth opened, though there was no change of expression on her face. “The time for waiting is over.” Her voice- her voice wasn't  _human_ . Neutral, no sign of emotion, but merged together with several more voices, talking as one in a low hiss. Alex flinched back, realizing that he'd done a terrible mistake. Her voice wasn't  _human_ .  _She_ wasn't  _human_ .

Her expression twisted briefly into one of rage, and she was on her feet, arm swung to the side. She backhanded Alex so hard, all breath was punched from his lungs, and he was literally  _flying_ backwards, hitting the flesh-covered wall with a pained grunt. He collapsed to his hands and knees, groaning in pain.

Greene approached him, expression lifeless once more. Alex wheezed and glanced at her. “I don't understand-” She was a prisoner, wasn't she? Why did she attack him? What had she been waiting for?

Greene eyed him for a moment before she reached out, whispering “Watch”

When her hand touched his hood, images flashed in front of his eyes. Fire, destruction, death on an unimaginable scale taking over a small town named 'Hope'. Then he saw Manhattan, and the same destruction spread across the Times Square.

He realized that he had done a massive mistake. It was a mistake freeing Elizabeth Greene. It was a mistake coming here. White-hot pain bored into his skull, and Alex knew he had to get away. But his body didn't obey, so he just dropped to the side with a moan while Greene walked away from him to face the wall.

Alex groaned, slowly struggling to get back up, but froze when he heard something slither. He watched how Greene touched the wall and the entire fleshy matter covering it was pulled back, leaving cracked concrete behind. Without the flesh keeping it together, the wall collapsed. Cold air rushed inside the room.

Greene paused and glanced at Alex. “I am your mother”, she whispered. Alex's head snapped to the side, eyes widening. The woman simply stepped through the hole and casually dropped out of sight.

_Mother? My mother? But Dana said she died!_

No, no. This wasn't his mother. This was some  _monster_ . Something that was going to destroy Manhattan.

And Alex had just set her free.

There was the sound of flesh tearing, and he had a brief second to witness one of those pulsing mounds rip open, revealing...something  _big_ . It slammed into Alex with a primal snarl, and he found himself flailing through the air, falling fifty stories to the ground, where he crashed into the parking lot with a resounding  _crack_ .

He blinked, then pulled himself upright with a groan.

“Shit!” His head snapped to the side, where the Marines aimed their rifles at him. Two tanks swung their cannons into his direction. Alex grimaced. _Riiiiight..._

There was a roar, and several of those large things hit the floor near-simultaneously, two of them hitting the tanks and crushing them under the force of their impacts. Alex hissed and pulled back, eyes wide at the sight of these creatures. All of them were twice as tall as a grown man- even when crouched. Their total size was somewhere between ten to twelve feet. Their bodies were coated in pinkish and gray-tinged skin that was pulled taut over massively bulging muscles. Their legs were double-jointed, ending in vaguely human feet, while their hands were massive paws with five short stubby claws. They didn't had genitalia, but were still startlingly human. But their faces were...empty. They just had a gaping maw and tiny sunken black eyes, but no nose. Or hair.

The one closest to him snarled once, then suddenly seized one of the Marines and bit down, tearing a good-sized chunk out of his torso before it flicked the body to the side.

Alex ducked and stared at them. Here, out in the open, he wouldn't be able to fight them.  _There are too many of these fucking things. I need help with this._ But the men here were hilariously under-equipped to deal with those beasts, which were now currently tearing them to shreds, ignoring him for the time being.

Guns. He needed guns. Big ones. Missile launchers, preferably- but where was he supposed to find one? At a Marine compound, perhaps? He had no idea where some were, but that didn't need to remain that way.

There was a Marine next to him, firing wildly at the beasts.  _I need to know what you know_ ... He grabbed the Marine and slammed his fist through his chest, killing and absorbing the man. He ground his teeth together, trying to focus on the beasts while the painful flash of memories settled into his brain. Poor Jesse Arel- now he wasn't much more than a pile of flesh and information.

But the information were useful. Within moments, Alex knew  _every_ position of military bases and planned bases all over Manhattan. He knew that the city was cut off, planes, trains and cars weren't allowed to get inside or outside anymore. And he knew of a nearby base. Just to the south, somewhere in East Village. And that one had a damaged skylight.

Perfect.  _I can contain them inside that base. Pick them off one by one._

He grabbed Arel's rifle and fired five times at the closest beast. It snarled and whirled around- and Alex cleared out of there as fast as he could. He took to the roofs, running as fast as he could to build enough momentum to jump off and glide to the next building, while firing blindly behind himself to agitate the single beast. It was fast- he'd give it that- but it was just a dumb animal. It didn't realize he was leading it into a trap.

“There's Mercer, and there's some sort of huge fucking animal after him!” Bullets whizzed past him like homicidal hornets. Alex snarled and fired three times into the direction of the three men that just shot him, hitting each of them with deadly accuracy to drop them- and avoid the beast from getting distracted.

It roared out and tried to dive for him. Alex swore and changed his trajectory, making the creature miss by mere inches. There- the base! He picked up his speed and barreled right towards the roof, shoving several Marines out of the way in his haste. The broken skylight was easily to reach, and without thinking, he dropped inside.

Well, it  _was_ a Marine base alright. There were three trucks in the middle of the large room, several tanks along the walls, some smaller buildings usually used for office work, dozens of missile launchers, crates, boxes- and nearly three dozen heavily armed men.

All of them jumped and whirled around when he hit the floor, shaking the building. Alex glared at them, watched how their trigger fingers tightened...

Glass shattered and the creature dropped to the floor as well, roaring. Alex had a split second to realize that he wouldn't have time to grab one of the launchers as it pounced at him. The men around opened fire, trying to hit him or the beast, which didn't seem to mind and went straight for him. He ground his teeth together and dodged to the side, finding a crate full of ammunition.

“I don't know what you are”, he snapped, “But I know I'm going to kill you!” He yanked the crate up and chucked it into the thing's face. In movies it would have exploded. In real life, the bullets harmlessly clattered to the ground while the metal itself caved in and splintered.

The beast swayed back and roared, but lunged at him in the next second, ultimately undisturbed by his attempt. Alex rolled to the side, letting the thing soar over his head. It was fast, nearly too fast- but he was faster. The Marines weren't helping the situation, as they were blindly shooting at either of them.  _Can't they see I'm on their side?!_

The creature slammed hard into three man and flattened them beneath its weight, just as Alex dashed to the side, grabbing another box. He jumped up and threw his new projectile, hitting the thing with deadly precision, hit the wall himself and bounced off it to avoid the beast jumping at him. Throwing stuff was useful, he noticed, and it did slow this bastard down. But just running wasn't going to cut it. He hit the floor again and pounced off it once more, then turned to face the creature this time. He curled his body and used his Air Dash ability to catapult himself like a cannon ball into it, hitting it with his full body weight. It swayed back from the force of his impact, but recovered too quickly as it slammed its claws down, tearing deep gashes into Alex's chest. He gasped and reeled back, and the creature tore into him again.

It  _hurt_ , but it only made him angrier.

Alex snarled and braced himself, catching the next strike in mid-swing with his free hand, then spun around and brought the beast over his head, slamming it into the floor. It squirmed for a second and attempted to get back up, when Alex stomped down onto its chest and caved it in. The creature shrieked and started to flail wildly, forcing him to back off. With a roar, it got back to his feet, but by then the Marines had focused their fire at it and not him. Bullets tore through its skin and flesh. Blood and muscle tissue splattered around it and it reared back, howling in pain. It was weakening.

Alex lunged at it, the fingers of his hands digging into its meaty shoulders as he threw both knees into its jaw to snap its head back and break its spine.

His tentacles immediately jumped up from his body without his say-so and dug deep into the thing. Alex's breathing hitched, but then he already started to absorb the beast. It was terrifying, it was unnatural- and it felt  _so good_ .

“I don't fucking believe it!” One of the Marines shouted in disgust. “What the fuck?!” Another yelled. _Shit. They've seen_.

Alex grunted as the mass of the creature was channeled into him within the blink of an eye, and he hit the floor with a resounding  _thud_ . The empty husk of the monster collapsed behind him, muscles and tissues gone, leaving behind cracked skin and bleached bones.

“That's not possible- he's just sucking it dry!”

“Shoot him!”

Alex grunted, feeling his body twist and boil beneath his skin even as the bullets impacted into him. He had just absorbed that beast, had gained a lot more weight- and his flesh refused to settle down. With a low groan, he dropped into a crouch, while the hot and shifting feeling started to settle along his arms.

Then they started to  _shift_ . Alex stared at them as black and red tentacles tore through the leather of his jacket and broke his pale skin; ultimately changing his arms in a flurry of red and black.

Four giant wicked  _claws_ , each of them as long as his lower legs, sprouted from black twisted chitinous tentacles and barbed flesh. It wasn't  _human_ anymore- he wasn't  _human_ anymore- but all he could do was stare in fascination at those massive talons.

“Fucking take this fucker down!”

Bullets bit into him, tearing him back to reality. Alex growled.

Without thinking, he lunged at the first group of men, claws whistling through the air. Four bodies hit the floor with wet slaps, entrails decorating the floor and his talons. Skin, muscles, body armor and bones- Alex had easily hacked through all of it.

His lips peeled away in a grin.  _Perfect_ .

He whirled and pounced on the next guys, claws rending three more to fine paste. A part of him was aware that he should be disgusted, that he was a  _monster_ \- but he just didn't care. Now he had the weapons necessary to take out Blackwatch, to fight back. 

To protect Dana.

More glass shattered and four more of those beasts dropped from the ceiling. Alex whipped around and growled at them, brandishing his new claws.  _More of them. And I'm just getting started_ .

He had to kill these things and make sure they wouldn't hurt Dana in any way, then he had to find and kill Elizabeth Greene for siccing these things on him.

The first of them had reached him, arms spread wide as it bore down on him while the others turned their attention to the Marines. Alex ducked under its swing and slammed his own claws into its flesh. The shock of the impact went through his arms, shook the black tendrils that constituted most of them, but where the soldiers fell apart in pieces, the large beast only gained deep gashes in its stomach. He probably had nicked a few of its intestines, but nothing more. The beast snarled pained, then lashed out at him. Alex dove to the side, rolling out beneath it and away from it. The claws were good, better than his bare hands, but not enough for these things.

Or maybe he was aiming at the wrong body parts?

The beast had spun around to glare at him, and Alex decided to try his luck. He pounced at the thing, angling his body to kick his foot into his chest to make it stagger. As the beast reared, he swung around its side and clamped his knees down on either side of its thick neck. The thing bucked up, roaring in one note. Alex hissed in reply and rammed his claws into its skull from either side, aiming for its tiny ears. Even though the bone did offer extreme resistance, the spongy area around its temples broke easily. Once they were through the hard obstacle, Alex's talons dug into its softer brain. The beast shuddered once, then started to buck and howl in pain. Again, what should have been fatal to normal humans only proved injuring to these things. However, he had leverage now.

With a growl, he yanked his body back, wrenching the beast's head back so far its spine snapped. It body went lack, but he could still hear it snarl and whimper. So even this didn't kill them?

These things were a lot tougher than he thought. Too bad he wasn't a pushover either. His tentacles came out again and dug into the thing's back, ripping it apart from the inside out and leeching its flesh into Alex.

When he dropped to the ground, he noticed the crack he made was louder than the one he had created before. No wonder about that- he had just drained every last bit of this thing and the one from before into his own body, adding their weight to his own.

Another beast hit him square in the back with a roar, drawing his attention as the force of the impact send him sprawling. However, his greater mass came with a higher density (he didn't grow after all), so the blow that had nearly torn his chest apart just before only caused deep gashes in his back now. But the other two now turned to face him too. Alex hissed and leapt back to his feet, then dashed as fast as he could to the side. He couldn't take these things on with them being all together. However...

He changed his course abruptly, letting the beast overshoot their target as he lunged to the side. In a quick motion, he grabbed one of the missile launchers stashed at this compound, rolled over his shoulder and spun around to face the three creatures. He jumped upwards and brought the launcher to the front, pressing the trigger. For a second he wondered just how this was supposed to work when his hands were currently machete-like talons, but apparently, his body had no problems doing the impossible. The recoil from the projectile was strong enough to fling him backwards, but Hell if it wasn't effective. The first creature caught the whole blast with its face. After that, it didn't have anything left resembling an upper body. The other two were better off, though they had been still in the blast radius. One swayed and reared up with a pained howl, the other was still charging. So this was the one Alex dove at next.

It roared, trying to skewer him with its claws, so he quickly dodged to the side, then jumped up and slammed his missile launcher into its face hard enough to completely cave in the metal and snap its head to the side. He had no desire to swallow that thing as he did the other two, so he went for its throat with his claws, slashing with a frenzied pace to shear away the skin and tissue before his talons hit something hard. That was when he instantly brought his claws together and grabbed the spinal cord tight, worrying it for a good measure until he had weakened it enough to literally tear the beast's head right off. The other was still alive, but the continued gunfire of the Marines was keeping it pinned. Alex hoisted the headless carcass of his latest victim up and flung it at the thing, knocking it off its feet. In one swift motion, he jumped up and angled his body down, so his outstretched foot hit the downed beast's head and utterly crushed it, sending brains and bits of skull splattering everywhere.

The Marines were staring at him, eyes blown wide. Alex could sense their fear, and every inch of his body was demanding him to hunt them down like any predator would- but his mind was buzzing with the sense of danger.

More of these huge beasts had caught up to them. Alex's heart sank when he saw  _six_ crash through the glass and dropped to the floor to face him.

He couldn't fight them. Not all at once.

His eyes flicked to the side. There were gas tanks. Six of them along the walls...And he  _did_ have missile launchers handy.

The beasts jumped, Alex rolled to the side and away from them, then made a mad dash towards the heavy weapons. Luckily, the Marines didn't attempt to stop him, though the beasts on his tail forced him to go too fast to grab the launchers on time. He needed three attempts to seize one and four very close calls with those beasts trying to gore him, but eventually he managed to secure his own weapon.

Without wasting another moment, he leapt off the floor and spun in mid-air to aim at the closest gas tank. In that moment, he had to air dash to the side to avoid one of the beasts- and his aim went askew. The explosion that followed was loud, and superheated air rushed over his body, but the tanks were sturdy- the blast having happened too far away to actually damage the tank.

Alex clicked his tongue and landed against the wall to jump off it, diving towards the next launcher. He dropped the old one and grabbed the new one, then whirled around and shot the next missile at his pursuers. This, at least, had the effect of another one seriously injured and the rest scattered so he had a little room to breathe.

Change of plans then- Alex hauled his arm back and threw the spent weapon at the injured creature with so much force, it burrowed through its skull and remained sticking out of its face as the thing collapsed, very much dead. He changed trajectory in mid-air and hit the floor, then rushed over to grab one of the trucks. Effortlessly, he yanked it off the floor and chucked it with all strength into the dented tank, finally cracking it. The one besides it shuddered, then creaked and its oily contents were spilled as well, flooding the floor.

“Shit! He's going to bring down the building!” One of the Marines yelled. “Stop him!”

Bullets roared past him or thudded painfully into his flesh. Alex snarled and grabbed a nearby huge crate, then threw it with full force at the few remaining men. They splattered in a shower of blood, bones and tissues, leaving him alone with the beasts. They had regrouped, by the way, and were closing in on him again. Alex hissed and swung his claws in a wide arc, slicing into them to get them to back off before he catapulted himself right off the ground. His sudden change in trajectory confused the beasts for a moment, but they were smarter than he'd given them credit for. One of them rushed to the side and grabbed an ammunition crate to throw it into his direction. Alex made a startled noise and just barely managed to Air Dash to the side to avoid it- and the crate hit one of the tanks. There was a loud crack, and he noticed grenades spilling out of the box. And, unlike bullets, grenades were quite able to blow up when enough force was applied- which had happened. And with the explosives blowing up one by one, the bullets followed suit- creating a hot ball of fire filled with the crackling on more blasts. The continuously exploding ammunition tore a hole into the metal hull and set the liquid inside alight. Sparks bounced off and set crates and vehicles besides it on fire as well. 

_Huh_

More explosions rocked the compound as the initial blast spurred a chain reaction. The other tanks burst one by one. The air grew thick with the stench of gasoline and ashes, smoke started to obstruct his view. Alex gasped once and instantly jumped off the floor, eyes burning from the biting fumes. The beasts behind him roared enraged and he could feel them try to jump after him, but the remaining tanks and nearby ammunition crates exploded in that very moment.

The building was torn apart in a single deafening blast. Alex felt the hot air roar over his body, he felt the pain as it ate away at his skin and lungs, but the blast catapulted him upwards and through the broken Skylights. He gasped when his lungs fixed themselves in an heartbeat and he sucked in smoke with a strangled choke. His ears were repaired another moment later, so he could hear the roar of the fire and following explosions beneath.

He had no desire to fall back into the inferno, so he landed briefly on the already collapsing roof and pushed off just in time to get out of range. Hastily, he rushed to the top of the next building to hunker down and watch.

Windows around were shattered from the force of the explosions, the air was thick with smoke and ashes, and people screamed on the ground. But Alex didn't flee- instead he remained where he was and waited, watched for anything that might crawl out of the flaming wreckage. Nothing did.

He slowly let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. The things were gone, wouldn't chase after him. He slowly got up and willed the adrenaline to subside. It had been a rush...but it had actually felt kind of...good?

He furrowed his brows in the realization that it had been downright  _exciting_ , that he wanted  _more_ of it.

Alex glanced down at the blood-stained claws that made up his hands now. He slowly lifted one, letting its nails scrape together with a metallic shriek. So he really  _was_ a monster, huh? But...there had to be a cure for this, hadn't it? He had killed several men until now, had taken their very memories, had  _devoured_ those giant beasts- and all he wanted was  _more_ of it.

He wasn't sure whether he  _wanted_ it, though.

_I am your mother_

Alex's head snapped up, eyes widening. Elizabeth Greene! He'd nearly forgotten about her.

He whirled around. Where was she now? What was she doing?

Did she know about Dana?

Even if not, Dana needed to know about her. She had to know to...prepare herself in case something happened. Alex's arms writhed and shifted back into their normal shape, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he leapt off the roof and headed to the north. Leaving behind a burning Marine compound and dozens of dead men.

 


	5. The Wheels of Chance

 

Dana was in the process of making a cup of tea when a tremor went through the building. Out of instinct, she froze, ears perked up to listen. Hurried steps came down the hallway. Dana hissed and hastily put the cup down before looking frantically all over the place for anything she could use as weapon- because it looked like those military fucks had just found her again.

She heard the steps outside stop with a skidding sound, but then the lock clicked. A key? Damn- there was only one outside of her who had a key.

He really liked giving her a heart attack, did he? Dana cleared her throat and crossed her arms, attempting to look as angry as possible, when Alex finally came through the door.

Everything she wanted to say died on her tongue. He looked hunted, more so than the day before; pale, terrified and utterly worried.

“Alex?” She stepped towards him. “What-”

“I fucked up”

Dana blinked. “Uh...what?”

“Greene”, Alex replied, wiping his palm against his face. “I thought she would have the answers...but she didn't.” He exhaled, shoulders slumping. “She's diseased, was under security lockup- and I set her free.”

Diseased? The things she found on Alex's laptop, the things calling Greene a 'carrier'- Her eyes widened. Greene was a  _carrier_ , someone who had a sickness- “The city”, Dana gasped, “She's going to infect it!”

“She already started”, Alex replied darkly. He ran his hand through his hair beneath his hood. “Fuck”, he snarled, “I was too careless. I wanted to get to her as soon as possible- but have neglected to find out more about her.” He glanced at her. “Now Manhattan is going to die.”

Dana paled. “Die? Are- are you fucking serious?”

“I have seen it”, he admitted with a dark voice. “At Gentek. Everybody inside was dead.”

“Oh, fuck”

He stared at her for a moment, before glancing to the side. “We have to get you out of the city. The bridges are locked down, but I think I can smuggle you outside.” He exhaled. “And then I will find and stop Greene. No matter what it takes.”

Alex was going to stay here? With this plagued woman and a Black Ops special Kill Team that wanted him dead?

She couldn't leave him here, not with this amnesia of his. “I'm not going to leave you here.”

“Dana. It will become dangerous very fast.”

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Listen- I don't care. But I won't leave you stumbling about in the dark. Let's face it: You are helpless without me.”

“Dana-”

“Save it. You and I, we're kind of responsible for this.”

Alex blinked. Dana sighed. “Look. I pointed you into that direction and you walked there, but neither of us made any efforts to figure out  _what_ exactly went on.” She shrugged helplessly. “But  _someone_ knew what was up with that woman, and nobody bothered doing something about it or maybe put up a fucking  _warning sign_ . Maybe  _someone_ wanted this to blow over- and we need to figure out  _who_ .”

“'We'?” Alex arched an eyebrow.

“Yes. You and I- we can crack this”

“Dana”, the tone in his voice snapped her back into reality. “This is no game. These guys are dangerous. Greene is dangerous. You _should not_ stay here.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe she should go, but the question was: Where to? They had found her once already, and it would be easy to do it again. The next time, they maybe wouldn't be so considerate to wait for Alex to pop up and screw them over.

“I can't”, Dana replied. “Alex- if I leave you now, we _both_ are going to be easy victims for these fucks. I promise I won't leave the safe house, but I can not leave the city either. If Blackwatch finds me, they can use me to get to you and we both are done for. It's safer if I stay here.”

Alex didn't answer, but watched her with an unreadable and slightly confused expression.

“Look- I know you don't like it. I don't like the idea either, but I can find hints for you. I can get into their servers and get the information you need. But you won't get them if I am gone. So we need to stick together.“

He finally reacted with a long sigh. “If that is your final decision, then I won't try to talk you out of it.” He frowned at her. “But you need to stay here. Inside.”

“Avoid large masses of people, got it”, Dana nodded. She was relieved he didn't force her to go away- she had to stay close to him. Alex needed her.

She exhaled and went over to the laptop, tapping a few keys. “Okay. Okay. So you need someone who knows about what went on at Gentek, right? Someone who knew  _you_ .”

She saw the proverbial light bulb light up behind his eyes when he cocked his head. “You thinking of someone specific?”

“Does the name 'Karen Parker' ring any bells?” Dana asked, watching his expression. Confusion, but nothing else. It hurt her, knowing that her big brother remembered _nothing_ at all. She sighed. “Well, it should. She was close to you. An ex-girlfriend.”

This, at least, got a reaction out of him. She saw recognition on his face. “The woman”, he muttered, “The one from the pictures in my apartment.”

“Yeah. You've known each other for...” Dana frowned as she wrecked her brain to remember when she'd first heard of Parker. “Little over three years now? Can't say I knew her all too well, but when you stopped writing, it was Karen who send me letters to keep me updated on you.”

“Ex-girlfriend?”

“You and her...kinda lived yourselves apart, far as I know. But look at it that way- if she worked together with you, I bet she'll be willing to help.”

Alex blinked, then slowly nodded. “If she worked at Gentek, then she will also know what I did there. Maybe she can help me stop Greene and the Infection.” He inclined his head. “You know where she lives?”

“Admittedly, I have never met her face-to-face, but I do have her address from your laptop- it's 105th and Columbus.” Dana furrowed her brows. “But you need to hurry, Alex. You have to get to her before the military makes her disappear.” _Like they tried with me_. “Look, if I can find this lead you can bet that they will too. Not to mention that spouses and ex-lovers are pretty high on the suspect list.”

His eyes narrowed and she recognized determination and something darker take over his features. “I'll go”, he growled. “If somebody can help me stop this, it'll be Karen.”

“Alex- be careful, okay?”

“I will.”

He headed outside and Dana slumped. This wasn't Alex. Alex wasn't Alex, but Hell if he didn't try to do the right thing. He had caused something terrible, and he was still trying to fix it- something the old Alex would have never thought about doing- he hated people with a passion, after all.

Something wasn't right with him now, and that wasn't just the amnesia talking. But he was still her brother. And if he wanted to fix this, then she was going to help him every step along the way.

Determined, she turned back to the computer and started typing away. Time to stretch her more unique abilities.

* * *

 

Karen Parker- the woman from the pictures from his apartment. His  _girlfriend_ according to Dana. So his assumption of them being involved proved to be correct. They had lived apart, she said. But he hoped that Karen would be willing to help him.

He didn't want to...resort to  _that_ . Not with civilians. Not with those that didn't attempt to harm him.

But if she refused, if she had information he needed...He shook his head. No. He had to talk to her first. Had to find out what she knew.

Alex had headed north after he left Dana's safe house, then headed towards the Columbus Circle to mount the  _Empire_ . Upper Westside...

His eyes narrowed at the sight of  _red_ . It was still very faint, but he saw it gather in concentration the further north he looked. Somewhere between Harlem and the Upper Westside was something... _unnatural_ . Something that didn't belong.

He could  _sense_ it, and it worried him.

So he ducked low and let his legs run over with tendrils, gathering power there. When he catapulted himself off the hotel, the roof terrace beneath cracked and the pool rippled. But before anybody could check it out, he was already long gone, soaring high over the city.

He was moving above the Columbus Avenue, keeping his eyes peeled for Blackwatch or the Marines.

He spotted a few- but they were bustling around. Something had disturbed them, something had drawn their attention, but Alex knew he wouldn't have time trying to figure out what they knew. He had to make sure Karen Parker was secure first.

As he drew closer, the more he realized that the area around was not safe. Not anymore. The red miasma that hung overhead became thicker the closer he got to her apartment. It was still thin enough to see the sky, but the little cover already smelled of death and decay, it reeked of Elizabeth Greene.

And Alex realized that it had begun. The thing she'd shown him inside his head. Manhattan dying. He had to stop it, had to stop  _her_ . But he couldn't do it alone. He needed Karen Parker.

He glanced down again, worry edging its way on his features. He saw barricades, hastily erected. Marines and some Blackwatch spilled around, trying to keep the people out- or in.

Ahead of him, just opposite of the building Parker was in, was something that reminded him of Gentek. Too much like Gentek.

An entire apartment building was completely surrounded by red veins and pulsing, writhing flesh.  _That is not looking good..._

A shot drew his attention, and he hit the roof just two buildings away from Karen's with a heavy thud, then peered down. He saw Marines, huddled together near a tank, shooting...people?

No. The people were  _wrong_ . They staggered towards the soldiers like drunks, gurgling and screeching. He saw their skin covered in oozing sores, saw their clothes and hair stained with blood.

They didn't even care they were gunned down. All they cared for was trying to get at the Marines. And Alex realized that they were sick.  _His_ sick.  _Greene's_ sick. They were  _like_ him. But- he wasn't like them.

They were mindless, heavily deformed...powerless compared to him; whereas his mind was sharp, calculating, his 'deformities' could come and go as he wished, and he would have torn the Marines apart within the first second he laid his eyes on them. He wasn't like them, yet he couldn't deny that they were similar. In a way. He  _felt_ it. Felt they were... _family_ , in a sense. But not like with Dana. No. It was just a basic feeling, as if his body recognized them as kin- even if his head did not. To him they were a threat. A threat he didn't bother himself with at the moment. They weren't his priority.

Karen Parker was.

He glanced at the Marines, who hadn't noticed him.  _They're distracted. They haven't secured Parker yet._

Good enough. Alex jumped over the next two buildings and dropped down, then headed straight for the door. He slipped in, hearing the whispers of the people inside the building. They were nervous, watched through the windows what was going on. Brainless, all of them. They should get out, hide, arm themselves- but all they did was watch.

He scoffed as he walked through the lobby. He couldn't care about them. They meant nothing to him. He hurried up the stairs, checking every level for Parker. He found her name at the second. Hopefully it was the right Parker. He didn't know what she smelled like, after all.

Alex paused, glancing at the doorknob. He didn't have a key...but did he need one? He closed his hand around the metal, focusing on not crushing it. Karen might take offense if he broke her lock, after all. Instead, he tried to form those tentacles. Smaller though, so he would be able to pick the lock. His body responded and his arm bristled when tiny tendrils formed beneath his jacket. They slipped from his sleeve and quickly dug into the keyhole, turning and twisting until it clicked open.

Alex carefully pushed the door out of the way and stepped inside, taking in the sight in front of him. The apartment was smaller than his was, there were some paintings and photographies on the peach-colored walls. The living room/kitchen combination was devoid of any life, but he sensed a presence in the bedroom just through the door. Inside, he spotted a few potted plants, and the entire place was lit up and comfortable.

Then he saw  _her_ . She was standing at the window next to a large double bed, her back turned to him. She wore a dark jacket over a light shirt, had a gray skirt and dark stockings. Her blonde hair was pulled together. He could tell she was nervous, her heart was pounding in her chest.

Alex cleared his throat. “Karen Parker?”

Her heart rate picked up as she whirled around, eyes wide. He heard her breathing stop for a short moment, and saw her expression shift quickly. She had suspected an attack, maybe an invasion like Dana had suffered through. It didn't take long for her to recognize him. “Alex?” Karen asked feebly.

Alex only inclined his head.

She stepped towards him, expression still confused. “I thought you were dead.”

“I should be”, he heard himself say. No use denying this- after all, he _did_ wake up in a morgue.

Karen had approached him and was eying him warily, before she suddenly- but hesitantly- lifted her arms and wrapped them around him.

Every alarm bell went off in Alex's brain as his body registered the close contact with another human being. When Dana had last done this, he'd very nearly hurt her in a way he'd never want to hurt anybody- and still had done to more than half a dozen men until now.

He wanted to  _consume_ her, every bit of her body, every bit that was her, every last memory. 

But he knew he couldn't. He needed Karen, needed her help- so he forced himself to not harm her. Instead, he froze, went completely rigid while he counted her heartbeats to distract himself.

She must have noticed it too, because he  _felt_ her blink in confusion, before she pulled away to eye him worried. She had questions, he could tell, but they had to wait. Alex bobbed his head slightly and jerked his chin over his shoulder. “They are coming. There is no time”, he told her, noting the confusion and shock spread over her features. He heard the Marines and the diseased outside, coming closer and closer. 

“Alex- I have to know-”

“No time”, he cut her off. “Right now we need to get out of the military cordon.”

Karen blinked, before understanding flashed across her sea green eyes. She was shaken, but her voice sounded stable. “Then...then we'll need a vehicle”, she mentioned. “Something that'll get us out of this district...something military, perhaps?”

Military vehicles...he could do that. Alex turned to go, but paused and looked back at her. “I'll be back soon”, he told her. “Take whatever you require- because I need you to put a stop to this.”

“This- you mean the... _things_ out there?” Karen questioned.

He nodded in reply. “Hurry.” Then he headed outside.

Just as he passed the elevator, he heard the  _ding_ of its signal, telling him of its arrival. He froze just as the door slid open- revealing three Blackwatch Soldiers. Alex was upon them before they had the chance to realize the situation. He tore the first guy apart and splattered the second, then dove at the third. He slammed hard into him, his mass crushing the man's chest, before his tentacles came out and ensnared the man.

Charles Conley...and he was here to take Karen.

Alex scowled and hurried down the stairs. He had to be quick about this, had to get the vehicle needed before Blackwatch figured out their team was dead.

He dashed out of the building and took to the roof once more, rushing to East Harlem to where he knew a base was. However, something red to the side caught his attention for a moment. The flesh- the disease- was  _spreading_ . And it was spreading fast. Person to person, building to building, street to street. It was Greene's work- and nothing seemed to stop it. The urgency he felt skyrocketed. He had to stop this. Had to end this.

The only positive side was that whatever the red stuff was, it took the Marine's attention away from him, allowing him to reach the base without problems.

Once he had reached it, however, he hunkered down to figure out what to do now. This one- a small-time office building in normal life- had no skylight. Several military trucks, pickups and a tank were parked in front of the building. Barricades cut off the street on either intersection, creating a large courtyard. Marines were milling about.

Alex glanced at the vehicles. He knew how to drive normal cars, but trucks?  _I don't know how to operate these vehicles, but someone here does._ Which meant he just needed to find him.

Alex dropped off the roof and into a back alley, then looked around. He heard snippets of people talking. Rumors about the Upper Westside. Rumors about the explosion at Gentek and the Renalia Building. Rumors about  _something_ leaving a trail of destruction wherever it went.

“Something's going on.”

“Did you see the red clouds? It's unnatural.”

“There's a homicidal terrorist on the loose, why doesn't anybody do something?”

“I'm glad Danny and Lindsay went out of town for the weekend. At least they're not stuck in here.”

“All the bridges are closed! I'm stuck here!”

“Those guys in black give me the creeps.”

He cocked his head. Nothing of interest, nothing about Gentek. Only scared civilians. They had no meaning to him- Randall, McMullen- those were who he needed to get close to.

Alex shifted into one of the Marines he consumed at the Rockefeller Center, and exited the alleyway to head towards the compound. They would become suspicious if he popped up out of nowhere, so even as he walked towards it, he scanned the visible courtyard for single targets.

A single guard stood to the side, watching the entrance of the office-turned-Marine-compound.  _Perfect_ .

Alex easily slipped inside the courtyard, making sure not to draw  _too_ much attention as he made his way over to the man. Once he was sure nobody was watching, he struck. One arm slung around the man's throat to prevent screaming, the other placed firmly against his lower back, and Alex simply pulled back, snapping the man's spine as he stepped  _inside_ his shape and took his spot. With a grunt, he let the man's memories play out in front of him. Anthony Coffman. Stationed here, complained about Blackwatch. But more importantly, he knew everybody inside his base. And the guy Alex was looking for.

A dark expression settled on his face beneath the balaclava he now wore. Mark Mead, the resident driver. He headed into the compound, rifle gripped between his fingers. He  _really_ wanted to wreck havoc here, but he knew that any compromise would be bad. If they knew he was here, if they knew he wanted to get a vehicle, then it would be easy to figure out he wanted to get Karen Parker to safety.

So better keep it hidden. If somebody asked why he had left his post, Alex could tell him he needed to use the toilet. This was always a valid excuse.

Nobody did ask him, however, so Alex loped over to the ground-level conference hall that had been re-purposed as lunch room. Mead would be here. Was his break, after all.

Would be his last.

Again, he was startled by how easily he simply decided to  _murder_ somebody else, wear their skin and take their abilities. But it couldn't be helped- he wanted to stop this plague going on, and for this he needed Karen in a safe place. Everything else could fuck right off.

Alex snorted and let his gaze sweep over the men sitting around. He found Mead easily- he was sitting at a table, eating a sandwich. But there were too many people around- and the clock was ticking. Time for acting?

He cleared his throat and stepped up to the man. “Mark?”

The Marine glanced at him. “Yeah? Don't tell me you want a bite. 'Cause fuck you. Get your own sandwich.”

“I think I've seen...” Alex grasped for a few ideas, pausing with a frown. “Thought I've seen your truck leak. Maybe you want to look?”

“Get Lloyd on it”, Mead grumbled. “Or any of the other fuckers.”

Alex grit his teeth. He didn't have time to lose. “Just take a look at it”, he urged the Sergeant, “You can eat your sandwich on the way.”

“Fuck you, man!” Mead spat, getting up. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

_Fuck_ . Now the others looked at them too. Alex's gaze flicked over to the welded-shut windows and the rows of men sitting around. He was at the only exit though...and there were only twenty of them.

He grabbed the Marine's neck and yanked him down, free hand twisting and forming into talons seconds before he slammed them through the man's throat to kill him. Before anybody could realize what was going on, Alex's tendrils had grabbed and ensnared the corpse while the rifle clattered to the ground and his shape shifted back into his  _own_ . With a grunt, he forced the surge of new memories to the back of his mind to not lose the moment of surprise he had, while the other Marines just stared, losing a second to confusion and terror.

A second too much.

Alex lunged at them, his body moving way too fast for them to react, and tore the closest five to shreds within the blink of an eye. The others finally realized what was going on and dove swearing to the side, some grabbing for their guns. Alex couldn't allow it, since any sort of noise would draw attention. He pounced on the next group- three men, and his talons dug into the floor when he ripped through his victims. The remaining twelve pulled back, swearing and shouting. Alex's expression twisted into a snarl. He tore one talon free, but the other stuck deep in the ground.

Shit, if he wouldn't get it free they would alert the base.

The men noticed that something was off and tried to make their way to the door. Alex hissed and attempted to break free- when he felt his body  _shift_ . He felt  _himself_ in the floor, just beneath the floorboards, crawling  _through_ the ground.

His claws twitched- and suddenly broke through the floor in six foot tall black spikes, just below the remaining dozen men.

They never stood a chance.

Alex stared in surprise (and maybe shock) how all twelve of them were caught in the spike trap, impaled and held aloft. They were dead in an instant, most of them shredded beyond recognition through the sheer mass and size of the spears. He blinked once, and tried to focus on his arm, pulling back the claws and spikes into himself. They vanished, dragging the bodies down until they smacked against the floor, while Alex's body settled back into its original shape. He stared at his talons, then the cracked line running from him to the holes the spears had torn.

_Huh. Groundspikes. Nice._

Would come in handy, he was sure. But first...

He shifted into Mark Mead's form and exited the place, mindful to close the door behind himself. He had to hurry, before somebody realized what had happened.

Outside, he glanced at the military trucks. Yeah, one of them would be enough to get Karen out and to safety...but there was the question of security. He had seen the plague spread, and the affected people it brought. The truck wouldn't be secure...but there was always the  _other_ vehicle he could use.

With a grin on his face, he headed to his new target.  _I know exactly how to drive this thing._

* * *

 

Alex wasn't Alex. He was someone different- that much Karen had realized when he had left her again. She knew she shouldn't trust him, knew that he wasn't the same he had been before- but she had loved him. When they told her he died at Penn Station, she had been  _devastated_ \- and when he suddenly stood in her door looking so lost, she couldn't stop herself from hugging him. Because despite  _everything_ , he was there- and most importantly- he was  _okay_ .

When he froze instead of returning the hug, she had to realize that it wasn't  _her_ Alex. The thought had broken her heart, but she had tried her best to keep it together.

He had said he'd get her out of there. She knew she should have said no, should have been more wary- but then she'd seen the Infection just across the street and had agreed with him.

She had sent him off to find a vehicle they could use to get away, get into that old lab near Central Park, while she tried to get her stuff.

He said he wanted to stop this- and she  _believed_ him.

So she had hurriedly thrown together whatever she could need- clothes, toiletries, laptop- the phone she'd been given. She stared at it, thinking whether she'd just leave it here and  _tell him_ , or not. But then she thought about what they told her and her decision wavered.

She tucked it into the duffel bag she managed to find at the furthest corner of her wardrobe, and stuffed her clothes inside to hide it. Worried, she went back to her bedroom and glanced outside. The red stuff- the  _Infection_ \- had grown large. Pustules of rotten flesh pulsed against the concrete walls, bursting open ever so often. Diseased people roamed the street, faces melted and twisted through the virus. They stumbled along slowly, but whenever they saw a not-affected like those poor soldiers down there, they suddenly moved extremely fast and tore into the men with rabid ferocity.

Then, a side of the building exploded, and all of the Infected whirled around. A tank came into sight, shooting in a rapid succession at the lower side of the building to weaken the structure, while effortlessly running over every single of the diseased people with frightfully ease. Karen winced as her brain supplied her with the possible wet snapping sounds their bodies made when the treads ran them over. Still, she watched in amazement how the tank crew angled their shots in such a way the entire lower section of the infected building was blown apart- so the whole complex collapsed after a very short time, spilling dust and rubble everywhere.

But at least the Infection wasn't going to regrow that.

The tank went out of sight, and she exhaled. Most of the affected were dead now, and the immediate threat was gone too.

There was a knock on the door and she turned around when Alex came into her apartment.

“We have to go”, he mentioned. “Quick.”

“You- have you gotten a vehicle?”

He nodded, then grabbed her bag to lead the way down the stairs. Karen followed after him, wringing her hands together nervously. It was darkening outside, but it wasn't dark enough to not recognize the vehicle he brought.

She stopped, gaping.

“Alex?”

“Hm?” He stopped and glanced at her.

“Is...is _that_ what you brought here?”

He blinked, then furrowed his brows. “Yeah. Why? You told me to get a military vehicle. I did.”

She inhaled sharply. “That's a  _tank_ .” Not just any tank- it was the very same tank she'd seen run the Infected over and blow the building up. Which meant that it was  _Alex_ who had done this. With a  _tank_ he had  _stolen_ .

He glanced back at it as if it had suddenly changed shapes. “Yes”, he replied. “It is.”

“Why a _tank_?”

His expression turned confused. “Because any other vehicle would not have been secure”, he told her. “So I grabbed a tank. Trust me, I can get you out of here.”

She did. She trusted him. She shouldn't, she knew. But he was her best ticket out of the place. He must have noticed, because he went to grab her and- despite her rather undignified squeak- lifted her up so she could climb inside. It was awfully cramped in there, but Alex didn't seem to mind as he slid in smoothly and took over the controls. With practiced ease, he flipped the switches and pressed the pedals, and the tank started to move. Karen's heart sank with the realization that Alex  _could not_ do that before. So what she had been told was right.

_Oh God_

_This_ wasn't Alex,  _this_ here, this... _thing_ right next to her- it wasn't  _human_ .

But...could she believe what  _those men_ had told her? She shifted, the bruises aching along her back. What if they  _lied_ to her, what if Alex was still in there? Still in this thing? He needed her help, didn't he?

“Where to?”

His voice- rough and gravelly- startled her. She had never heard this sort of voice from him. The closest thing that came in comparison was when he had been working hard and was so stressed out, he lashed out at everything, even her. Was part of the reason they split up.

She must have stared, because he furrowed his brows. “Where am I supposed to take you?”

“Corner Central Park North and Malcolm”, she told him. “Uh, opposite of the Design Center.” The tank shook, Alex muttered something under his breath about 'Speedbumbs', and Karen shivered. “Please just get there safely.”

He grunted in reply, and kept his eyes fixed on the monitors that showed them the outside. But she could see the silver-blue edge turn into her direction.

“What happened?” He suddenly asked.

Karen blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Between us”, he explained bluntly. “Dana said we lived apart.”

_Oh_ . Karen cleared her throat. “That is...one way to put it.” Damn it, this wasn't what she had been told  _at all_ . They said this thing was a monster, but what she saw here was only a lost man, someone who wanted to know what happened. “You...you were always so driven, so focused. And your work? I was hoping that once you'd finish it, you'd come back to me...” She sighed and slumped in her seat. “Instead, you only became...more distant. More paranoid? Anyways, I realized I couldn't wait any longer, that I lost you- so I left.”

“My work?” His eyes settled on her, and she suppressed a shiver from their intensity. “What have I worked at?”

Karen blinked again. Did he seriously not know? Still, maybe she could work with this... “I don't really know”, she admitted. “You had E-Level access, I only D. So there were some things you weren't allowed to talk to me about. We- we worked at...a weapon against cancer. Or that was what we were told, anyways.”

She hadn't meant to say it that way, but it had drawn his attention. “What do you mean?”

“A lot of people working with us...vanished. You got paranoid about it, until you ran away from Gentek.” She exhaled, kneading her forehead. “I have met you when you tried to get out of Gentek, you told me to not go back there, but I thought you were just over-worked. Never would have thought...”

“I woke up at the morgue”, Alex replied. “Didn't know who I was, where I was. Got out, was shot at. Escaped. Found Dana. Now I try to find out what happened.”

_Oh God_ ... _he really had no idea..._

Karen swallowed, but didn't answer. What was she  _doing_ here?

Alex made a noise and the tank stopped. A voice through the radio demanded to know what he was doing. Alex cleared his throat and replied. Karen didn't hear what he was saying, was too horrified by the way his voice just  _changed_ . Smoother, higher, with a Brooklyn accent. They were allowed to continue after that, but she could only stare, could only hear her thoughts racing inside her brain. This wasn't Alex's voice. This wasn't  _Alex_ next to her!

_Keep it together. Don't break down here!_

She swallowed, trying to keep the tears and the nausea at bay. This wasn't right. She should be doing  _something_ . But she couldn't. Not to  _him_ .

“We're there”, Alex mentioned casually as he pulled into the back parking lot and killed the engine. The sudden silence made her brain backflip inside her skull.

Karen gasped and struggled to stand up quickly. “Thanks”, she claimed, maybe a bit too hasty. “For getting me here.”

Alex nodded and helped her out of the tank. Karen's legs were shaking, and her stomach was twisting. But she still somehow managed to get her professional mask together. “I-I'll show you.”

He grunted in reply and let her lead the way three flights of stairs upwards. Karen's hands were shaking so badly when she worked the key, that she almost didn't manage to get it into the lock. That was when Alex heaved a sigh and plucked the key from her hands to unlock the door himself. “Calm down”, he requested somewhat gruffly. “They can not find you. You are safe here.”

She would have collapsed and told him  _everything_ , but still, by some miracle, managed to swallow what she wanted to say. Her hands were shaking though and her heart was thudding loudly.

“Do you...want me to stay?” Alex questioned, head inclined to the side like a dog.

Karen choked once and forced herself to smile. “Ah, no. Thank you. The day had been...stressful- if you get my meaning. I'd like to sleep.” She rubbed her arms. “Uh, and the tank is not really...inconspicuous, either.”

“Oh”, Alex glanced over his shoulder. “I'll get it away from here.”

“Thanks.” She exhaled. “So, you can come by tomorrow. Then maybe I got my brain working again?” She laughed nervously.

Alex glanced at her, then nodded and turned to go. “See you tomorrow then. Sleep well.” He paused in the doorway and threw a look back at her. “The bruises-” He mentioned.  _He's seen them?!_ “If I hurt you- I'm so sorry for it.”

Karen's words caught in her throat as he left. She only stared at the closed door, and listened intently for when she heard the tank outside start up and roll out.

Then she collapsed against the wall and slid down, burying her face in her hands and started to sob uncontrollably. What should she do now? This man out there, this  _thing_ \- it was not what they told her it was.

But...but if she didn't...they would  _kill_ her.

What was she supposed to do?

* * *

 

Alex had left Karen with a queasy feeling in his stomach. She had been nervous, anxious, was barely keeping it together- but mostly because of  _him_ . She knew more than she was saying, she had to. But  _what_ it was, he couldn't tell. Conley hadn't known either, only knew she was a person of interest. Alex was glad he'd gotten to her before they did. Now they would have a real chance fighting back.

He had taken the tank and brought it away from her hideout, had driven it all the way to the Thomas Jefferson Park, where he was going to dispose of it. It was late, and nobody was around.

Alex killed the engine and got out, rolling his shoulders. He eyed the tank and frowned. How was he supposed to go about this? He figured that maybe he would be able to push it into the Harlem River- it was only a short way away and across the River Drive, but wouldn't it be just re-usable once they got it out of the water?

He frowned and summoned his claws, slicing them halfheartedly at the metal. They screeched a metallic screech, and his talons came back more blunt than they've been before.

The tank was barely affected.

He'd need something harder... _heavier_ .

The claws were good, but only for soft targets. He couldn't even disembowel these large creatures Greene sicced on his ass. Against the tank, his talons would probably break. So he tried to keep the chitinous surface, but pulled the claws back, being rewarded for mostly human hands. He flexed his dark armored fingers, then glanced back at the tank. He'd break a wrist if he punched the thing, so he'll need more mass there. But with more sturdy wrists, he'd also need thicker arms...and shoulders.

Alex experimented a bit, consciously shifting his paws and distributing his immense mass from his inside. The result were...hammer-like fists. His hands were just as large as his head, with short stubby fingers and gnarled knuckles. They were barely rotatable at the wrist, but coated with the same dark chitin his clawed arms had been. The spikes that made up most of his arms when using the claws had been reduced to stubs and knobby growths along his limbs. They were also  _heavy_ , pulling him down with their weight- and he had lifted and thrown around nearly ten tons of weight already.

But Alex was satisfied, however. These things- quickly dubbed 'Hammerfists'- looked sturdy enough. He turned to the tank and exhaled. Then he reared back and lifted both fists over his head, holding them there for a moment before he slammed both down. The backside of the tank flipped up from the impact, the front was caved in instantly. Metal, engine, treads- Alex had crunched through all of it in a single punch. He glanced at the destruction, then shifted his stance and hauled one arm back, trying to redistribute his weight a little bit. The mass shifted from one hand into the other, enlarging the fist he had pulled back. With a grunt, Alex threw the massive weapon to the front and into the tank, completely flattening it and driving it into the soft ground. His fists turned back into their original form, even as he went for the next swing. Two more hits with the 'normal' Hammerfists later, and there was nothing recognizable left of the armored vehicle.

A grin split Alex's features apart as he finally pulled back. With one mental command, his Hammerfists turned back into his Claws, then with another order, back to the fists, then his normal arms.

_Sweet_

He shook his arms and left the mangled corpse of the tank behind. He'd get back to Dana and check up on her, tell her what he's done so far.

And then...He furrowed his brows. Then he'd start looking for Blackwatch and Gentek employees. Those that would know what he'd done. The mistake he did with freeing Greene- it was because he was lacking in information. Never again- he needed to make sure his facts were sound before he'd do something.

What he'd done was inexcusable. He had fucked up- and he had to fix this. Before Dana or Karen fell victim to this Infection.

He wouldn't let anything harm either of them. That he promised.

 


	6. A new Order

 

Alex set down on the roof with more care than he'd done so the last twenty roofs. All of them had holes in them, this one, however, merely got dented a little. Maybe. It wasn't that he wanted to destroy it or announce his presence here to Blackwatch.

He slipped through the roof entrance and headed to the closest door, pulling out the key from his jacket. He did pause for a moment and frowned. He had heard Dana's heart rate spike every time he went in before, and figured that perhaps he should let her know he was there. With a sigh, he softly rapped his knuckles against the wood, careful to not accidentally punch a hole through it.

Then he unlocked it and went inside. “Dana? It's me.”

He found his sister perched in front of her computer, but she looked up as he came in. “Hey Alex!” She cleared her throat. “What about Karen?”

“Safe”, he replied. “I took her to an old lab, she told me she's going to help find something about this infection.”

“Infection?” Dana's expression turned guarded. “What Greene had?”

“Yes” His shoulders slumped and he sat down on the couch, wincing at the loud creak it made. “It has started”, he told her once he settled. “It's an outbreak. When I got to Karen- there was this apartment building, grown over with infectious mass. People turned into mindless husks, staggering through the streets. I managed to destroy it, but the stuff is spreading and it is spreading fast.”

He heard her heart skip as she sat down besides him, eyes worried. “Alex? What are you talking about?”

He glanced at her. “You heard me. Greene- when I met her, she hit me into a wall, then touched my head. And suddenly I saw...a vision? I am not sure. But she showed me some place called 'Hope', and how it all went to shit. And then she showed me Manhattan. She is going to destroy it.” He paused, and looked down at his pale hands. “It has begun.” He could  _feel_ it. The disease, crawling through the street, devouring people and distance, growing stronger each passing moment. Icy dread settled in his stomach, because he knew Dana could not stay here.

“I have to get you out of here”, he muttered, “Get you away from Manhattan- before it can take you too.”

Her heart was racing, but the hand that grabbed his fingers was warm, the hold firm. “You can't”, Dana replied and Alex was surprised to see the determined expression on her face. “An island is the best place for an infection- it can be controlled easily. You said the bridges were closed off and there's no way out of Manhattan, right?” He blinked as she continued. “When this plague spreads, then it will be contained in here. It can't get out of Manhattan- and-and if things get worse, then it'll be easier to fight it here, than have it get out onto the continent.”

He felt her shake as she leaned over to hug him. “I know you're worried about me, Alex- and I'm worried too- but I know we can fix this.  _Together_ .”

Alex blinked again, then carefully placed one arm around her shoulders and pulled her a bit closer. He had to be careful about crushing her, though- after he'd seen what he did to a  _tank_ , he had to realize how absurdly overpowered he was. And people were fragile, after all.

Dana was working on mushing her cheek into his chest when she made a humming sound. “Hope, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Weird.” Dana moved and sat back up, frowning. “I think...I think I've read something about Hope...Idaho, if I'm not mistaken.”

Idaho? Alex's eyes widened when a set of memories snapped to the front, the memories of Neil Inglis.

“ _Sir, we've got a priority situation in New York.”_

“ _The Idaho Runner?”_

“ _Something else...Sir?”_

“ _Get the old man on the horn! I want two battalions ready to move from Detrick, full gear! It's starting again!”_

Again. Again and again and again. Blackwatch knew of Runners. Ever since Idaho, they had popped up over and over and  _over_ again. Thousands of humans had died already, and even more were going to die now- here in Manhattan.

Blackwatch  _knew_ of Elizabeth Greene, but they hadn't bothered attempting to end her. No. They had kept her alive, had  _studied_ her. Karen said they had tried to create a cure for cancer?

From a virally diseased woman?

Alex maybe didn't know what he worked at, but he was damn sure that something like that could not produce a cure.

And that meant that Gentek had been possibly working on something else, something that was more in alignment with Blackwatch. It was no coincidence that Blackwatch appeared at Gentek when he woke up there. Impossible even- except for when the two institutions worked together.

And that meant, Gentek was just as guilty as Blackwatch. Meaning, Alex had to find the men working for Gentek as well- and find out what they knew.

A  _lot_ of people were going to die.

“Alex?” Dana's voice was worried. “Uh...are you alright?”

He blinked and glanced down at her. “Why?”

“You went kind of really still”, she frowned. “Thought you were going into shock or had a stroke.”

“No”, he grunted. “I just realized something.”

“Let's hear it”

Alex snorted. “Gentek- Gentek  _knew_ what they were having. They knew that Greene had this illness. Still they decided to use her illness- what for? I have been told it was to find the cure for cancer- but creating a  _cure_ from a  _disease_ ? I don't buy it.” He shook his head angrily. “No, they were doing something else. Possibly biological weapons. And Blackwatch- Blackwatch is in on it. Their job is to contain biological threats, to eliminate them, yet they didn't destroy Greene? Why?”

“Because they want the weapons as well”, Dana realized. “Holy shit, Alex! This is _the_ story of the century!”

_Possibly_ . However, it meant that Alex now had a clear target: Blackwatch and the Gentek scientists that worked there. He glanced at Dana again as he slid to his feet in a smooth motion. “Find out who else worked there. People who possibly worked with me. Karen said that some of them had vanished, but maybe you can figure something out.”

Dana had gotten up too, eyes glowing. “You got it!”

“Good”, Alex turned and headed back to the door. “I'll check it out on the ground, keep the Infection itself under observation.”

Dana inhaled sharply. “Be careful, okay?”

“Don't worry. I always am.” He tried to sound reassuring, but wasn't sure in how far he actually managed to do so. But beneath his skin, his claws yearned to break out, to be flexed and to take a few lives.

He held them back. Dana wasn't supposed to know this. Karen neither, so he had to hold them in until he was out of ear shot.

Blackwatch was responsible. Gentek was responsible.

They were going to  _die_ .

* * *

 

“Shit. Make it snappy, don't want to stay out here for much longer.”

“This is delicate work. We don't know what kind of strain is at work here.”

“The freaky and soon to be dead kind. Hurry!”

The plague had spread. After he had left Dana, Alex had returned to Karen's old apartment and had checked up on the spread there. While he hadn't seen any other building being affected that hard as the previous had been, he had sensed the sickness all over the place, spreading across large parts of the Upper Eastside and starting to root in East Harlem as well. The sky- already dark- had felt weird. He could tell that with light, it would be red. Then his senses had drawn him further to the south, to where Gentek was- and he found more of the plague. Straddling the island from Gramercy all the way to Greenwich, in pulsing red sores and growing vines. All over the streets, he'd seen the afflicted, stagger about without an goal in mind. Men, women, children, old people- victims from every part of life. Blackwatch and the Marines had thrown up barriers, tried to keep them in- but he knew it was futile. The plague was spreading from host to host, and they wouldn't be able to stop it.

That was when he spotted several Blackwatch soldiers in a parking lot along with a group of men in hazmat suits- hazmat suits with the Gentek logo on it.

Gentek scientists.

Alex had ducked low and perked up his ears, listening in. These guys were as good place as any to start. However, after listening to them for about a quarter hour, he decided that eavesdropping them wasn't going to give him anything. Which meant, he had to do this the hard way.

With a deep sigh, he got up and casually stepped to the end of his perch- the roof of an apartment building- and dropped to the street, right in front of the parking lot these men were in. They whirled around, bodies going rigid- and Alex flicked out his claws.

The first guy hadn't even time to lift his rifle when Alex's talons tore into his chest and ripped his insides apart. The second managed to squeeze off three shots, then Alex was upon him. The way he was moving, he completely blocked off the escape route for the scientists, anyways, so he took great care to utterly eviscerate every last of their guards before he finally turned to glare at the men. Cowering men.

Men from Gentek. Men who could know what had happened. It was enough for Alex to decide to doom them.

So he did.

Four men- he had to be quick about it before they managed to escape. So he leapt at the closest one, slammed his claws through his sternum and instantly followed with the tentacles. He didn't wait for his body to finish dragging in his prey as he lunged at the next two, downing both and grabbing them as well before the first one had even finished settling into his mass.

The last one tried to make a break for it, managed to rush past him and towards the exit of the parking lot, but Alex was faster than him. With a single pounce, he slammed into the man, sending him sprawling against the floor.

He was pleading, whimpering- and Alex hesitated. What had he become? What was he doing here? He was  _killing_ people, murdering them for his own gains.

But wasn't he doing this to stop Greene? To save Dana?

His eyes narrowed and he sunk his claws into the man's back, crushing heart and lungs to consume him as well. His teeth ground together when his brain started pounding. Four new sets of memories surged through his skull, seared themselves into his head. Funny, how it hadn't started when he took the first one. Probably his weird biology that refused to take the memories when he was still in the process of consuming more prey.

“ _That is...a variant of DX-1118. Still untyped.”_

“ _It seems like...she's waiting for something.”_

“ _I wasn't paid to feel.”_

“ _She was a damn Test subject!”_

His eyes widened. The last guy- the guy who begged for his life- he had  _known_ him. Alex instantly pulled him back to the front of his mind. Rustle Lee. They had worked together- on project  _Blacklight_ .  _Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight_ .

He remembered. Remembered  _himself_ from  _another_ person's point of view. Driven, focused, icy blue eyes narrowed behind glasses. Lee himself had never met Greene face-to-face, didn't know who else, but Alex remembered the dialogue he had led with himself. He had wanted to know where Greene had come from, had questioned his own work. Then he had started to question Gentek itself.

And then he disappeared.

Woke up in the morgue later.

Alex shook his head, feeling a little more confused than before. But he would learn. He now knew names. Faces. Locations. Men and women who had worked at Gentek, had worked alongside him- who knew what he had done.

He would find them, and he would know too. He held no illusions that they were innocent in this case- unlike Karen Parker, who hadn't worked directly with Greene and Project Blacklight, they were closer. They had done this too- weapons? So in his mind, they were just as guilty as Blackwatch.

But the nagging question was: What had he done himself? Was he one of the guilty ones? Was he just a stupid scientist who blindly did his work until he figured what he really did? Was he somebody who never gave a single fuck about what he did until he started getting uncomfortable?

Lee's memories suggested as much and Alex didn't like it.

But he was going to find the truth, no matter what it was.

Alex pounced off the ground and headed back topside, heading back North. The bridges, the ferry, the tunnels- all of them were closed down. No way out, but perhaps this was good. Dana was right when she said that an island was the best bet to keep the infection in.

The speed the spread was going worried Alex, however. He assumed that there were about three million people on the island- residents, tourists, employees who just worked here and got trapped by the military lockdown, soldiers. And the way the infection was spreading meant that already two to four percent of those three million were affected. Or at least, Blackwatch seemed to believe it. Alex had no reason to doubt it, but that would mean that these numbers included up to  _one hundred and twenty thousand people_ .

All of them  _dead_ within the  _first_ day.

There was a howl and he stopped briefly in his movement, glancing down. He was at West 100 th street, sitting just atop a library. And the street was littered with afflicted.

Nothing stopped them as they stumbled about, snarling and hissing, trying to carry their sickness further.

Alex scowled. These things were dangerous to Dana and Karen. But at the same time, it wasn't as if they had gotten a choice. They were simply trapped in this state- trapped like he was, but without the perks that came along with his condition. His arms twitched at the sight of the masses down there. He counted at least a hundred bodies- maybe more.

They were unaware. Dangerous to Dana.  _Perfect_ targets.

Alex let his arms twist into his lethal talons and stepped off the roof at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue. Blackwatch was supposed to stop these things, but they weren't anywhere to be seen. Guess that remained with him then.  _Good, because I really want to try out those claws_ .

The first of the Infected noticed him with a gurgling snarl, and limped towards him. Most of them were walking hunched over, reminiscent of a chimpanzee, others were limping heavily, flailing their arms when they sped up to keep balance- and some stumbled over their own feet and fell to the ground in heaps.

Alex flexed his claws- and lunged at the first guys. His talons shred through them easily, dropping them left and right with little more than a thought. They weren't as tough as the Marines had been- probably because of the lack of body armor, he suspected.

They screamed and dove at him, Alex hissed in reply and whirled in place, letting his claws shear through them in a circle around him. After that, neither of them had anything resembling chests or skulls left.

A small group drew his attention next- a couple of cars and the fence of the nearby playground blocked their way and their dumb brains couldn't comprehend how to climb over them- so they were the next target Alex struck. He knelt down, jabbing one claw into the ground and focusing on those ground spikes he'd used before. Again, he felt his insides rush through the floor, gathering just beneath those guys within two seconds. Then, the ground shattered as Alex's spikes tore free. The largest were nearly two stories tall, their barbed surface increasing the damage they did. The Infected were shredded within moments. When Alex pulled his spikes back, neither of them looked like  _people_ any more.

_Oh fuck yes!_

An excited grin came to his face as he spun around and faced the remaining ones. Still more pressed towards him, unbothered by his assault. But he felt like he could go on  _forever_ \- and it set him into an incredibly good mood.

He let his body do whatever the heck it wanted as he slaughtered his way over to the intersection with the Columbus Avenue, happily ripping through the Infected. Blood was splattering around him, organs flew into every directions, bones crunched underneath his shoes.

And Alex  
enjoyed  
every  
moment.

Two thirds on his way to Columbus, he stopped briefly to shift over to the Hammerfists, then continued with renewed vigor. His hits shook the street, the impacts tore good-sized craters into the asphalt and completely flattened any Infected and car unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire. And they still kept coming.

_KRATHOOOM_

Alex felt the explosion more than he actually heard it- the sudden loud noise and the fire rushing over him like hot water disoriented him and threw him across the intersection and into a parked car. The force of the impact totaled the car and crushed it- and him- into the storefront of a Mexican Grill restaurant.

Alex blinked in confusion. The pain rolled over his body in a few quick hot waves, then faded away just as his body had repaired itself. And then he heard the distinct rumble of a tank and men shout.

A low growl worked its way up from his chest as he wrenched himself free and marched back through the shattered window to stand back on the street. His eyes found Marines and a few Blackwatch troops, who noticed him as well.

“It's ZEUS!”

This gave him pause. It wasn't 'Mercer' anymore, but Zeus? They seriously called him Zeus?

“Shoot it!”

The bullets that hit him definitely felt like he shouldn't really dawdle on that too long, so he slammed his fists together with a snarl- but he must have miscalculated. The sheer force of the impact created a literal shockwave that easily knocked over three more cars and a trash can. The soldiers stared at him with wide eyes, before they remembered their training and continued shooting him. The tank swung its cannon into his direction too. Alex snarled again and kicked off the street, catapulting himself the few yards over to the tank that stood smack in the middle of the intersection. He swung his Hammerfists down with an enraged yell, completely caving in the upper section of the tank. He was pretty sure he heard startled screams from inside, but that could have been his imagination. The screams he heard when he smashed them inside a second time were real- as was the noise of breaking bones and snapping metal on his third punch.

But Alex wasn't satisfied. Bullets and an occasional grenade still ripped into him, set his flesh aflame and burnt away at his health. His head snapped up as he lifted his arms a fourth time, roaring. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!” He howled, smashing his fists down with enough force to kill every last man inside the tank. His body started writhing painfully, adding to his frenzy. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Something snapped. A lance of white-hot fire buried itself deep into Alex's stomach, making him gasp involuntarily, but unlike the other times he felt pain, this one kept going, digging through his body and forcing him to curl in on himself with a swear. Whatever it was, it was rolling beneath his skin, nearly breaking through but still keeping just beneath the surface- building pressure. It hurt, hurt so much he barely felt the bullets impacting into him. His vision dimmed alarmingly fast, and his entire body writhed.

_Fuck it_

He dug his arms deeper into the tank with a hoarse shout when a wave of agony shot through his body. Something was happening to him and it hurt worse than being shot at- so he was trying to find an outlet,  _anything_ to make it stop.

He was vaguely aware of the tank buckle beneath his body, followed by pained screams and the bursting of concrete. Alex forced himself to look up, stunned by the sight of a massive ring of Groundspikes. All of them were easily a story tall and taller- giant pillars of black chitinous mass that burst through the ground in an huge area around him. He couldn't see the soldiers that shot him, nor the Infected that had still swarmed him.

The painful pressure was gone, replaced for the strange feeling of  _emptiness_ . Alex swallowed once and carefully moved his legs to get up, realizing that his arms were still anchored inside the tank. The forest of spikes shuddered, then slipped swiftly into the ground. Alex gasped once when he  _felt_ the mass surge back into him, allowing him to get up. His Hammerfists were shifting a bit, then settled back into their original state.

He grunted and stood up, taking in the destruction around him. The entire intersection, parts of the sidewalk and  _parts of the buildings_ were damaged. The holes his spikes had torn had turned huge parts around him to rubble. The tank was a heap of scrap metal and the people- well, minced meat came to mind. Alex grimaced at the sight, but he felt strangely apathetic towards it. With a sigh, he made a step, wincing when this motion sent a ripple of uneasiness through his stomach. He recognized it easily enough: It was this strange feeling of  _hunger_ that had plagued him when he first woke up. But the beasts he killed, they should have filled him?

Or was it this...devastation attack that had burnt off his reserves? Alex glanced around again, figuring that it was indeed this weapon's energy output was fault he was being peckish again. But Hell if it wasn't effective.

_A Devastator, huh?_ He thought with a huff. His body ached slightly and Alex took a minute to decide whether he'll go look for something to consume, or leave it. But judging by the way he healed when he absorbed others, he could guess that the more he got, the tougher he would be.

Though...he glanced at the remains of the soldiers and stepped towards them, his tentacles unfurling from his sides. But instead of digging in like they had done in the past, they merely coiled against the gore and pulled back, obviously not interested.

Alex groaned. Dead matter wasn't attractive then? Fuck, it would have made things so much easier. He  _did not_ want to have to absorb others, did not want to deal with their voices inside his head- but it looked like he had no choice. It was either that- or waste away and suffer a slow and agonizing death from starvation.

Alex had no love for his own biology, didn't enjoy doing this- but he also did not want to die. And this meant, in the end, that he would have to continue devouring humans- or those giant beasts. He wondered whether he would be able to substitute humans with animals- when he noticed the Infected that still stumbled across the street.

They  _were_ human- but they were mentally vegetable, weren't they? And they were a threat to Dana's safety. And if he already had so much  _fun_ dismembering them, then it wasn't too hard to use them for other things.

One of them- a woman with stained dark hair- had limped close, unbothered by the blood cooling on the ground. Alex arched an eyebrow and shifted back to his claws to grab her. She gurgled and started flailing, blunt nails clawing uselessly at his chitinous hide. He regarded her for a moment, glancing at the face covered in red cuts and raw skin. She must have been a pretty girl before Greene's sickness got to her. It was scary how fast this disease worked- within hours its victims were gone. This girl was just another mindless husk, just another bit of flesh he could devour.

He was quick about it, however- more of them had finally noticed him and came stumbling towards him. A quick stab with his talons and she was no more, and his tentacles pulled her in with no problem. They were still  _alive_ then, unlike the soldiers he killed. Alex grit his teeth and braced himself against the surge of memories, only to find them...lacking. He did get a few flashes, a vague feeling of déjà vu, but nothing specific. It was less...intense what he'd seen in those large beasts, less instinct too, but definitely nothing like in the humans he consumed.

It was soothing in a way, knowing that there was not yet another voice whispering on the inside of his head now too. And with the satisfaction of his 'meal', Alex couldn't really complain. He picked off three more of them until the feeling of emptiness finally let up. Then he jumped up and left this area. Karen wasn't going to be available until tomorrow, so he decided he'd just keep on checking up on the city. Learn where Blackwatch and the Marines had their bases so he would be able to avoid those areas later on.

* * *

 

Not Alex.  _Not_ Alex. Karen swallowed, staring at the phone in her hand. Yesterday, after finally pulling herself back together, she had called McMullen and told him what had happened. He seemed to have been surprised to hear she was still alive. Then that general of his, Randall, had demanded she continued with her job, and McMullen told her of the things he-  _it_ \- had done. He-  _it_ \- had killed about a hundred men already, had destroyed several helicopters and  _tanks_ , had  _freed_ Elizabeth Greene, codename MOTHER- and it was using her for its own goals.

But Karen didn't believe it. Not really. They said Alex-  _ZEUS_ \- was a threat, but she hadn't seen anything the like. She had seen a man- a lost man who just wanted to  _know_ .

“ _ZEUS' memory problems might be an advantage we can use- familiar people, objects, places...they seem to restore memories to ZEUS. This restoration is painful.”_

“ _It can hurt ZEUS?”_

“ _During these moments, ZEUS is vulnerable. The more we know about it, and the less it can discover, the better off we are. We can also get creative. We can lie.”_

She shoved the phone back under a pile of papers and shook her head. Lie to him? She was  _afraid_ what would happen if he found out- she'd seen the videos and pictures Blackwatch had given her for her work. She had seen how easily he-  _it_ \- tore through battalions of men. She had seen how easily it had slaughtered those men before it came back with that tank to pick her up. But then she remembered how  _gentle_ he had been when he helped her. It wasn't  _Alex_ \- Alex had always been rough- but it wasn't that monster they told her about either. It was someone completely new, apparently- someone who had realized the mistakes he had done and tried to correct them. But he scared her.

However,  _Blackwatch_ scared her more. She had heard what they did, had heard what they told her, had the bruises to show- and she knew that she had no choice in the matter. Dana- Alex's sister- she was on the 'Capture on sight' list, with the addition of 'Shoot if resists'. Karen shuddered to think what might happen to her- but then again, she was more important than Dana, wasn't she?

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. What time was it anyways? She hadn't really slept, and hadn't taken too long in the shower either. She had went to the computer and set everything up, then all she could do was wait. He said he'd be back by today, right?

_What if Blackwatch got him?_ She flinched.  _If they did, then I wouldn't-_ Karen shook her head vigorously. No. She couldn't think like that. Alex wasn't Alex, but at the same time, he wasn't that thing that they told her he was.

He was someone different, someone that needed help- and she was going to  _use_ him. It didn't sit right with her- but Blackwatch scared her much more than he did. Because  _if_ he ever found out, then he would kill her. Simple as that- but Blackwatch- Blackwatch would use her. Like they wanted to use him. Like they wanted to use Greene.

Karen knew she couldn't let them do this. She didn't know what kind of strain this Alex had, but she knew it shouldn't be in Blackwatch's greedy fingers- the question was: Would she be able to stop them? They were listening and watching, she knew, and she tried  _very_ hard to not look into the hidden camera near the picture of Lady Liberty.

There was a knock on the door, and she got up. There was only one guy who knew where she was and would still knock instead of hammering against the door or kick it down immediately. She unlocked it.

“Alex”

He bowed his head slightly. “I told you I'd be coming by.”

Karen swallowed once, then stepped back. “Come in, then.”

She went back to her computer while Alex glanced around suspiciously. Could he tell they were watching? She didn't know, because his attention settled quickly on her laptop. His expression twisted into a frown.

“Ah...is everything alright?”

“Where do you have this from?” He growled, pointing at the stream of data running along the screen.

_We can also get creative. We can lie._

She licked her lips because they were suddenly too dry. “Don't worry about it”, she told him with more bravado than she felt. “This here had been an old lab of mine- worked here in my younger days crunching data, and it is for overnight, too. Gentek never bothered removing the network access here. Pretty sure they don't even know I'm here- too much going on” she added with a weak laughter.

His eyebrow arched and his features softened slightly. “So you're hacking”, he noticed.

Karen blinked in surprise. “Hacking?” She cleared her throat. “Guess so. Well, actually I'm just using the back door nobody bothered to lock. Hackers kind of...pick their way in.”

He  _chuckled_ . Alex actually chuckled- or made a rumbling noise Karen decided was a laughter. “Dana said the same”, he mentioned.

Karen exhaled in relief. He hadn't noticed. Good.

Still, she maybe shouldn't keep him waiting. So she pulled up a few pictures from the files. “We know a few things about this outbreak”, she mentioned, enlarging the images. “There are two main strains at work here.”

Alex made a curious noise and inclined his head. Karen inhaled, calming her nerves. “One is responsible for those...big things.”

“Hunters”, Alex supplied with a frown. “Blackwatch calls them 'Hunters'.”

“Yes. That's one of those strains. They have been normal people once, but this strain turns them into those things.” Karen shook her head. “Anyways, you can find those strains at the heart of Hives- or inside water towers. I think they serve as...incubation chamber of sorts.”

“Water towers?” Alex furrowed his brows. “I think I have seen something of the sort.”

“Exactly. Now we need some samples from...about half a dozen of them, I guess.” She tapped her keys again, pulling up a picture of a grown-over building. Like the one that had been across from her apartment. “Those are called 'Hives'”, she informed Alex. “And they are producing the second strain. The strain that makes those Infected. You need to collect another few samples, maybe two or three- those fleshy mounds are the best place for it, I think.”

“What about the third strain?” He asked. Karen frowned and glanced at him.

“What third one?”

Alex was silent for a second before he stepped back, spreading his arms. “The one I have”, he mentioned quietly, making a red static ripple along his arms. Karen gasped and nearly reeled back, but remembered just in time that she sat on a rolling chair and would fall off it. She caught herself at the table, staring wide-eyed.

Alex lowered his head. “I had it when I woke up”, he told her in a low tone. “But- it's not like those things out there.” He dropped his hands, watching her closely. “My mind is still intact, except for the memories. I am faster and stronger than them. I can beat one of those Hunters, actually. And this means that what I have is different to what they have. So I must have a third strain.” He paused, frowning. “I think it is called  _Blacklight_ .”

_Blacklight. That was what Alex worked on._ Karen's eyes widened. He had told her about his work, had told her about this virus he was working on-  _Blacklight_ . She almost wanted to laugh at the irony of all this- Alex had made Blacklight, now Blacklight was in Alex.

_How much of him is still Alex? How much is something else?_

_But...a sample of him- of Blacklight- it would be useful, wouldn't it?_

_To Blackwatch._

Karen hissed and shook her head. “No”, she bit out. Alex was watching her questioningly. She quickly cleared her throat and glanced at him, hoping that her voice was steady. “Your strain- is not the strain that is infecting the city. We don't need it to cure it right now.” At that moment, she seriously did not care what they were hearing on the other end, but she couldn't allow Blackwatch to get a sample of him. If they did, they would have a weapon.

“Just- just get there and pick a few samples, then get them back to me”, she told him, shoving a small collection of specimen bottles and a marker into his hand. “And hurry, please.”

Alex took them and put them into the pocket of his jacket. “Whatever's happening out there”, he muttered, “It's only the beginning.”

He turned and walked right out, and Karen slumped into her seat. What had she just done? She did have the possibility to get a sample of  _Blacklight_ \- and she didn't. But they needed her, didn't they? They needed her to get close to the thing wearing Alex's skin.

Though...she was afraid what would happen after that. What would happen if he found out?

With a groan, she dropped her head against the desk.  _Why me?_

* * *

 

The infected areas had spread. Alex had figured it had long since grown across West Harlem and along the entire Upper Westside- though, strangely, he couldn't see any Hives. However, there were some Hives near Yorksville and Lenox Hill- along Eastside. It was worrisome how much the Infection already grown.

He looked up. Here, in the heart of the infected zones, the sky was red. The miasma was thicker than what he'd seen the day before. Airborne particles of the infection. Where they harmful?

Alex actually doubted it. The Infection- it spread through close contact. Blood, saliva, open wounds, direct contact with Greene- all of this carried it further. But through the lungs? Didn't look like it. He had some memories of a few guys running around without their balaclavas or even gas masks until somebody called them out and told them to wear them- but most higher-ranking Marine officers often waved it off and continued their job with no ill effect.

Possible that the virus, when airborne, was no longer infectious.

_Caw_

Alex blinked, then cocked his head. High above him, he could see three crows. They were cawing loudly and kept swooping down over a building. Alex frowned, then drew closer.

More crows were sitting on the roof, or atop the water tower there, cawing and trying to pry  _something_ off. When he approached, most of them flew off to get some distance- but they didn't leave completely, instead watched him closely.

He eyed them, then turned his attention towards the water tower. He paused with a frown. “What is that?”

There were veins peeking out of the wooden plates, and the scent- it smelled like the Hives did. Alex approached it carefully- and the tower shook once. Veins spread rapidly across its surface and there was a muffled roar from the inside.

Then the tower exploded. Alex swore and brought his hands up in front of his face to shield it, losing a second to surprise.

A second  _something_ used to barrel into him and catapult him across the roof only to slam painfully into the air conditioning unit. He gasped and instinctively kicked out, flipping his body back into the correct position- only to face a Hunter staring down at him.

_What the heck..._

His eyes flitted back to the destroyed water tower. Incubation chambers Karen called them- protects the infected as it grows into a Hunter. Just his luck it burst open when he was there.

The Hunter roared and dove at him, Alex lunged to the side to avoid it. He rolled over his shoulder while the beast crashed into the already destroyed air conditioner, and swung around as it freed itself. Alex scowled and his arms started to writhe- shifting them into his massive Hammerfists. As the Hunter pounced at him again, Alex swung one fist in an uppercut, smacking the thing's jaws with so much force, its head snapped to the side. The Hunter yowled, and flailed its arms, while Alex focused on his aloft fist, channeling his mass into it to enlarging it. When he slammed it down, he completely crushed the Hunter's skull beneath his fist into a chunky paste.

It didn't move anymore.

Alex blinked, then a wide grin settled on his face as he stood up and shifted his arms back. Slow and cumbersome as those Hammerfists were- he could seriously pound the crap out of anything with them.

He glanced at the birds, which had watched the fight. They didn't seem affected by this plague, even though they had eaten the infected tissues. It was possible that this disease only worked on humans.

But they had shown him where the infected water tower was. Alex huffed out and stepped back, then headed to the burst tower- he still had to gather some samples.

He found himself disappointed- the insides of the tower consisted completely of necrotic tissues. It appeared it was able to speed up the Hunter's incubation to a few seconds. Which meant he'd have to crack those towers before the Hunters inside finished their incubation circle.

Alex scoffed. A time limit, then? Didn't sound too hard.

He left the roof and headed further along the Upper Eastside, keeping his eyes peeled for birds.

He found one, albeit a different sort: A Blackhawk was hovering above another apartment building. Yorkville wasn't so much offices as more residential. And the plague had taken hold here. Alex just hoped the people weren't stupid enough to leave the building and risk an infection. But then again, he wondered why he even cared. Dana and Karen were save- so what did the others matter?

Alex had drawn closer, had crouched down on a taller building to watch the soldiers down there. Blackwatch, not a single Marine to be seen. Which meant, the Marines had no idea what was going on.

He shifted his attention towards the water tower. He could see the infection peeking out of the crevices, but the entire thing remained suspiciously silent. But he could sense it, pulsing inside- the Hunter was there. The incubation chamber wasn't empty, was currently working- but it didn't burst open like it did with him.

And that gave him pause.

It appeared those chambers were  _aware_ of their surroundings- and didn't hatch as long uninfected humans were around. But he- who was diseased- he had triggered the 'birth' process. Because he was infected- and the incubation chamber identified his presence as secure for the newborn?

It was possible.

Alex tilted his head and glanced at the six guys there. He could take them out, but that would trigger the chamber to hatch.

Or...He eyed the Blackhawk. It was just hovering there, right above the water tower.

Alex turned around abruptly and headed over to the next roof, grabbing the air conditioner unit there and yanking it out.

He hurled it at the helicopter with all his strength, hitting it dead-on in the center. The chopper exploded and dropped to the roof, breaking the water tower and killing most of the guys below. Alex didn't allow the survivors to gather their senses as he lunged over himself, foot outstretched to kick the burning wreckage away from the chamber. He didn't want to fry the samples, after all.

He swung around and dove instantly at the first of the guys, stabbing his freshly-formed talons through his chest to end him. His tentacles grabbed the body and dragged it in, making Alex gasp as the new shock of memories surged through him.

“ _Here's what's known: The subject can shift its body structure to an unknown degree. It can fashion portions of its body into a weapon, change its facial features and perhaps even imitate voices and mannerisms. Long and short: It's a security nightmare.”_

Alex exhaled and pulled his face into a frown. It was inevitable that Blackwatch would eventually figure out what he could do. Damn, he had been sure he killed every witness- but perhaps he should have started looking for security cameras- because what he's seen in Basiti's memories looked suspiciously like the security feed of that base he took out to get to Mark Mead.

Can't be helped now- but even if Blackwatch knew what he could do, they wouldn't be able to stop him. Alex scoffed and turned to kill the remaining men, then headed to the destroyed water tower. The Hunter hung limply from its perch. It wasn't fully formed, wasn't as large as the other had been- so it had been in the process of incubating. When he destroyed the tower, he killed it. More importantly, however, the flesh around was still salvageable. Alex plucked one of the specimen containers from his jacket, scooped some of the matter inside and closed it, then scribbled 'Water Tower 1' on it.

One down, five to go.

* * *

 

Alex had quickly figured out how to take out the towers without the Hunters inside hatching. They reacted to his presence, but if he moved past it fast enough, the process stopped quickly enough again- possibly to avoid dumping the newly born Hunter into a nest of enemies.

But it gave him enough time to bludgeon the tower with his Hammerfists to break them and kill the beast inside with no great problem. He had been too slow only once and had to deal with another Hunter, but it hadn't been that large of a problem as his first Hunters had been. Maybe because it had been so young, or maybe because Alex now had the weapons to deal with them.

At any rate, he had taken half a dozen samples from those water towers, and was now heading towards the largest concentration of crows- towards a massive Hive that had taken over an entire city block.

From afar he could already hear the civilians scream, and the wet gurgle of the infected. But he could also hear the growling of tanks and the cracks of gunfire, as well as the beating of helicopter wings.

_Fuck._ They were going to destroy the Hive- but he had to get those samples first! Well...logically speaking, he would still be able to look for another Hive. Would be a lot less trouble than having to face Blackwatch.

But, against all reason, he  _didn't want to_ . He was being childish- but this was  _his_ . The Hive was his. Dana was his. Karen was his. Manhattan itself was his. And neither the Marines nor Blackwatch had any saying in the matter.

He was going to get the samples from  _this_ Hive, and nobody was going to stop him. With a scowl, he started moving, rushing over the buildings to reach the Hive before Blackwatch did. He had no love for them, not after they gunned him down at Gentek, but he had better things to do than torture them. Plus, any confrontation might break the samples he already had on him. Better keep this short and snappy, though if they shot first, he was going to retaliate.

Until now, however, the soldiers hadn't noticed him, were busy trying to blaze a trail through the hordes of the infected on the street. Alex scoffed and jumped across another alleyway, then headed south to face the Hive. Karen needed samples from this thing, mentioned the fleshy mounds were the best places to start.

He looked back to where the tanks were. They came closer too fast, so he had to be quick about it. With a snort, he lunged across the street and hit the building the Hive was growing in. His fingers dug into the brittle facade and pulsing flesh, anchoring him there. The infected below hadn't noticed him, or maybe they did, but they weren't smart enough to climb up. Alex's toes scrabbled against the surface, finding purchase in the writhing veins below. He effortlessly stuck to the wall and inched sideways, to the closest of those writhing mounds. It was larger than him, was maybe the size of a Hunter, though he couldn't sense any life inside. But he could feel the Infection, gathering there.

The Infection that he needed to find a cure to. Alex's boots dug a little deeper when he shifted his hold, freeing one hand to change it into his massive claw. His nails sliced through the sack of putrid flesh easily, and a reeking, yellow pus poured out of the cut immediately. Alex grimaced and forced himself to breathe through his mouth. It was beyond gross, but those samples were important. He steeled himself for one moment, grabbed one of the specimen bottles and removed the lid one-handed, then plunged it into the pus-coated inside of the Hive's growth.

_Oh God_

Alex really wanted to throw up, but then he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since he woke up, hadn't even had a drink, and he wondered just how he wasn't hungry and thirsty. Must be the virus in him. The virus that fed on other people and made sure he always had what he needed. Another perk- and Alex wasn't sure whether he would count it as a win or not.

He paused at the feeling of his arm squirming, and quickly pulled it free. The specimen bottle was clenched between his fingers, but his arm was...writhing. Tendrils rushed across its surface, coiling against the infectious matter and drew it in. Alex furrowed his brows and slowly turned his arm over. Nothing. No pus, no fleshy matter...but logic dictated that his clothes should be soiled.

Come to think of it, they should be in pieces actually. Because he had been shot at, he had grown claws, he had been blown up. But his clothes were  _fine_ .

Alex furrowed his brows, closed the bottle and shoved it into the pockets of his hoodie to the others, then pulled himself to the top of the building. He grabbed a hold of his sleeve and rubbed his fingers over it. He could  _feel_ it. Not just from his fingers, but also from his sleeve in itself. He could feel himself pinching, like he would have grabbed at skin. But he was grabbing at his  _jacket_ . Not skin.

And still...

Alex grunted and rolled his shoulders, grabbing at his jacket and starting to pull it off. It didn't slid down like he was used to (or what it should be like in the stolen memories), but rather it felt like trying to pry off a Velcro strip. He felt something stretch, then snap free for every inch he pulled the jacket off, and a short cursory glance showed him that the sweatshirt beneath did  _not exist_ for a short moment- it was all black and writhing, and connected to his jacket by countless tendrils- until those tendrils snapped and settled into a normal-looking sweatshirt.

This wasn't normal. He wasn't wearing  _clothes_ , like the humans did. Alex frowned at his jacket as he held it in front of him, blinked as it  _squiggled_ and suddenly melted right into his arms to re-shape itself on his back like it hadn't been gone at all.

And that meant, he wasn't wearing clothes  _at all_ , rather his surface simply  _imitated_ clothes. His head snapped to the side, to stare down at the infected below. They were still wearing their clothes, torn and stained as they were, or they were naked like the Hunters- but his were in perfect pristine conditions. Because they weren't clothes, but  _skin looking like clothes_ . 

He wasn't  _human_ anymore, though he also wasn't like those things down in the street. He was something different, something that could change into whatever he wanted.

_As amazing as it seems, he can manipulate his body on a genetic level. The changes are instantaneous- everything, even the clothing, is imitated. Tissue differentiated and transformed on-the-fly._

He didn't have what Greene had. He was different. But...it had taken over  _all_ of him, not only his insides, but also his skin and  _clothes_ , for God's sake! What had happened to him? Who was there he could blame for this condition? Gentek? Blackwatch? Greene?

He swore under his breath, because it looked more and more that he wouldn't be able to go back to being  _normal_ \- not when the sickness had spread  _that_ far. He wondered what the Hell it was- and why it hadn't affected Dana.

Fuck, he hoped Karen would be able to help.

A loud explosion and the loud groan of concrete and steel tore him back to reality, and he ground his teeth together at the sight of the tank that had come too close already and was now starting to shoot at the Hive. He still wasn't finished here, damnit!

With a roar, he shifted his arms to the Hammerfists and leapt off the building, swinging them over his head as he hurled towards the tank. As soon as he made contact, he crushed both down and caved in a part of the vehicle, instantly cutting off its fire. He reeled back and crashed them back down a second time, then a third time to kill everybody inside.

The tank buckled under him when he pounced at the Marines that had followed it, his hands twisting into his claws once more. They, at least, got the message and scattered as soon he mauled the first three of them.

“Fuck! We need reinforcements here!” His head whipped around at the sight of one of them shouting into his radio. “Our position is-”

He didn't manage to speak any further when Alex lunged at him and dug his talons through his throat to shut him up. Another guy was shooting at him, and Alex reacted by effortlessly bisecting him in a single swing. The others had backed away, staring fearfully at him, but their rifles were ready to shoot.

Alex hesitated. Those guys were Marines, not Blackwatch. They weren't on it- he  _knew_ that Blackwatch only used them for meat shields. They were just doing their job, trying to contain the spread of this disease. He was torn between killing all of them for their attempt at his life and sparing them because they weren't as much of a threat as Blackwatch was.

The roar of a Hunter seemed like a welcome distraction. Alex's head snapped around, eyes narrowing on a single Hunter that had appeared out of nowhere. No. Not nowhere- he saw its skin glistening with the infectious matter, and he spotted a burst cyst at the wall of the Hive.

The Hunter howled and dove at him, Alex spun and dashed towards it, meeting it in the middle of the road. He still had his claws, but he knew how to use them- jabbing them brutally into the Hunter's wide-open maw. The thing bit down on his arms, crooked teeth trying to cut through, but Alex instinctively wrenched one arm up to dig his claws through the thing's palate and into its brain. The Hunter convulsed and dropped to the side, whining in one long note as it let go of his stained and mangled arms. Alex snorted and seized the thing's head as his limbs healed back together, then twisted its skull roughly and tore it right off to fling it across the street where it smashed into a window.

The Marines just stood there, staring, but he could see their fingers hover over the triggers of their rifles. He could tell they weren't certain whether to shoot or not- unlike Blackwatch, these men were only supposed to clear the area out or keep it under control. So it wasn't their job to face the priority target.

Alex bared his teeth in a snarl at them, daring them to try take him on- but they wisely did not. So he spun around abruptly and rocketed off the floor to land on the Hive's roof with an audible crack. He knelt down, tore another cyst open and ripped some samples out of it.

He should have enough of it now, and the Hive in itself was a threat.

Too bad he destroyed the tank- he could have used it to take the building down...but there were other ways, weren't there?

Alex ground his teeth together and focused on the  _Devastator_ he had used just the night before. Instantly, he felt the pressure shift on his inside, growing to immense levels in surges of rolling pain.

He snarled, then dropped to his knees and slammed both claws into the derelict roof to give the pressure on his inside a direction. His body snapped and the pain faded in a white-hot lance of agony. Alex heard vaguely the ear-splitting cacophony of the building shatter, and he felt the tremor that ran through the fleshy matter beneath his feet.

When the pillars of black biomass ripped from the Hive's roof, the building groaned one last time- and collapsed into itself as soon the spears pulled back.

Gravity pulled Alex into the dense cloud of rubble and dust, and he inhaled sharply, only to rocket out of the devastation and headed over to the neighboring construction. He paused, glancing back at the Marines that had ducked to the side, then turned away and leapt towards the next roof, leaving the men behind.

 


	7. Open Conspiracy

 

Alex had returned to Karen and had handed her the samples, asking her whether he should stick around. She, however, vehemently told him to leave, laughing nervously and telling him it would be safer for both of them if he didn't stick around. Alex had left her as per her wish, but there had been a strange feeling in his chest. It was...hurting?

He frowned, wondering why Karen was like this around him. Had  _he_ been behind those bruises he'd seen peek over the edge of her collar? They didn't look accidental, more like hands having grabbed too roughly. Had  _he_ been the one to cause them? Was  _this_ the reason Karen was always so nervous around him? Did he hurt her?

Who had he been, before the morgue?

She needed room now, he decided. Space. No matter how much it hurt him to not know who he was, he wasn't going to force her. If he had been violent towards her in the past, then he had no right to make her do things she didn't want to do.

On the other hand...he needed her help with the Infection. They had to find a way to force it back, or they were going to be trouble. He hoped they would be able to walk out of it once everything was said and done.

An helicopter gave him pause as he headed along the Broadway, but it was too high and too fast to recognize him. So it passed by without disturbing him. Still, Alex quickly changed his course and headed towards Times Square to get to Dana from the South. The towering buildings, bright neon lights and video screens would hide him better than residential and purely office constructions would. But even moving at this impossible speed, he was still aware of the people below. And he could  _hear_ them. He was too far up, going too fast, the cars were too loud- and he was still able to listen to their conversation.

He heard questions, rumors, fearful demands for answers, complaints about the military occupation and lockdown- and terrified whispers about the things that started to take over the city. They asked what they were supposed to do, what could be done for them- but nobody seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.

They were just sheep, gaping idiots. They didn't matter. They didn't matter at all.

Alex snorted in disgust and headed slightly to the east, to move in a large circle around the Times Square and shake any potential Blackwatch spies before he headed back north towards Dana's safehouse.

He tore down at least thee satellite dishes as he pounced across the roofs in a wide curve to lose momentum and slow down. It wasn't so much that he feared overshooting his target, but if he was going too fast, then stopping was going to tear a good-sized crater into the building- and he had no intention to let Blackwatch know where he spend time.

So he was already at a more human pace when he hit the roof of the shoe store just across from Dana's hideout, then he easily leapt across the street to land on the other building with a heavy thud and a roll to work off the remaining energy. He got up and brushed his pants off, then glanced down to check whether any of the people down there had noticed anything.

They hadn't, and that was despite it being bright day out there.

“I know you've lost your memories or something-” Alex whipped around, eyes wide and the urge to just grow claws roaring at the back of his mind. He recognized who snuck up on him in a split second, and squashed that urge down instantly. 

Dana eyed him with furrowed brows, arms crossed as she continued. “But you most certainly were  _not_ able to jump across a fucking street before.” Alex blinked in confusion, then cocked his head.

His sister sighed, swiping the hood from her sweatshirt down to allow him to see her expression better. “Look, Alex. I don't know  _what_ the ever-loving Fuck happened to you. But you show up at my apartment, you casually punch  _through_ a grown man's chest, then you drop a story with no problem and crush a padlock- and now I see you bouncing across the blocks like the Hulk on a sugar rush.” She crossed her arms, eyes questioning. “What the fuck happened to you, Alex?”

“You have asked me that before.”

“Yeah, but I have the feeling you know more than you let up.” She sighed. “Talk to me. I've seen the red clouds. This is the Infection, yes?” Alex looked over his shoulder, eying the red sky to the north and south. Soon, it was going to be here too.

“Yes”, he admitted. “It is. And it turns people into mindless husks, or monsters. All bend to Greene's will.”

“Zombies. Well, _why_ the Hell not?!” Dana threw her arms up. “But there's the question, Alex- you have been in that cloud. You have been in the Infection, you said Greene touched you- but you don't look like a zombie to me. Hell, you look- well, more like death warmed over, really, but Fuck if you aren't a lot more friendly towards me.”

He blinked, before what she said set in. He sighed and slid his hand beneath his hood to scratch the back of his neck- ignoring the feeling of black not-flesh bristling against his fingers. Looked like his hood was just as much a part of him as his jacket was. “That's...” He grimaced briefly. “That's because it can't infect me. Because I already am infected.”

Dana's brows furrowed. “What?”

Alex hurried to explain. “The thing in Penn Station? You said it was a gas leak. But it wasn't. No. Somebody had released a pathogen.” He shook his head. “I woke up in Gentek's morgue. I must have been in Penn Station when it happened. Got whatever was set free.” Dana's expression turned into a confused one. Alex sighed. “I must have been dead. Or almost. But whatever this virus was- it got into me. And somehow it changed me.” He waved his arm towards the other roofs. “You've seen me move, you've seen how strong I am. This is because I am infected. This is also why the Infection now going on has no chance hurting me.” He dropped his arms and slumped his shoulders. “But the infection in Penn Station- it had ended with me dying. After this however, I have come back to life- at the cost of my memories. What's out there- it is not what I have.” He shook his head. “What Greene brought with her is different.”

Dana blinked at him, mouth hanging open. She snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “Okay...so...wow. This sounds...really fucking wild...” She glanced back to the red sky, then a satellite dish Alex had brushed, but didn't break off. “But I've just seen you bounce about the rooftops...so I guess I should cut you some slack.” With a frustrated noise, she ran her hand through her hair, making it stick up into every direction. “Okay, so let me repeat this- Somebody released a lethal virus in Penn Station. You happen to be there- and you fucking  _die._ And then you wake up from being  _dead_ , walk out and figure out the virus turned you into literal Superman.” She flapped her arms in a way Alex found quite confusing. “Trying to find out what the fuck is going on, you go back to Gentek only to find your literal  _General Zod_ , a.k.a. Elizabeth Greene, only for her to get out and bring a plague across the city?!”

Alex blinked, then inclined his head. “Yes. That sounds about right.”

Dana groaned out. “Fuck it, Alex- do you even realize what you sound like?!”

“I am aware”, he replied. “I know how this sounds. I know how it looks- but I have seen it. The Infection is there, eating its way through Manhattan. Greene is out there, somewhere. Blackwatch and the Marines have cut everything off. I-” He inhaled once. “I am not who I was either. Dana, I can kill a grown man with a little more than a _thought_. I can tear through steel plating and I survive being blown up or shot at. I have killed everybody who tried to kill me- and I _enjoyed_ every moment.” Alex let his gaze drop. “What does that say about me?”

He  _heard_ Dana's heart skip at his words. But he had to tell her, because she was going to find out eventually. He had killed- killed a lot of men. There was no way to lie about that. He regretted having told her, however. Now she would be scared of him, maybe tell him to leave her. Like Karen.

She didn't run. Instead, she inclined her head and crossed her arms. “I'd say 'Pricks got what they deserve'.” Alex blinked in surprise and glanced at her. He could still hear her heart race in her chest, but she didn't run. Dana huffed out. “Look- I'd say it's their damn fault. I'm not saying I know what Gentek did- but the way you're telling it sounds more and more like weapon production, like you already suspected. And it does not look like an accident either.”

He furrowed his brows, and Dana waved one hand. “Okay. You woke up at Gentek  _after_ something killed you and pretty much everybody in Penn Station- that's what you said, right?”

“Yes”

“Now you are stronger, faster and a lot more resilient than normal people. And these Blackwatch guys are after you- Blackwatch who you said work with Gentek. Now the question is: Why the fuck did you end up in Gentek's morgue and not, say, the police?” Her eyes seemed to glow. “Because _they_ made whatever killed the people in Penn Station”, she declared. “And they made it from what Greene has.”

Alex nodded along with her. That much he already suspected. Dana waved her hand. “That's why they wanted you back- to figure out what the thing did to you. But now? You got up and walked out before they could get what they wanted. And I don't see any others with your powers around here.”

“So they want me back”, Alex realized. “To figure out what made _me_ different to the other victims.”

“Exactly”, Dana nodded enthusiastically. “And now, imagine- the virus apparently produced a result they didn't expect- your superpowers. Suddenly they have yet another thing they could work with. Super Soldiers.” She pointed her finger at him. “ _You_ are proof that it worked, and that it is possible to stick superpowers to normal guys. They might even work with the movie amnesia- guys desperate for answers are susceptible to lies.”

Alex's lips peeled away from his teeth in a snarl. They were making weapons. Viral weapons that killed without question, and human weapons that did what they were told. Blackwatch- they had to do with it. Hope- Hope was the key to all of this. He just needed to find out what it meant. His flesh bristled beneath his skin, yearning to turn into talons and spikes.

“Alex? You're making that face again.” Dana's voice snapped him back, and he looked at her in confusion. 

“What face?”

Dana furrowed her brows. “The 'rabid honey badgers ain't got shit on me' face”, she explained. “Seriously, what is your problem?”

“They're making _weapons_ , Dana”, Alex growled, running his hand over his hood. “And worse- they're deliberately toying with human lives. The scientists at Gentek- they're dead. I worked at Gentek too- and Blackwatch tried to kill me as well. And all the people that died at Penn Station? Somebody had started all of this.” His eyes narrowed. “And we both know _who_.”

He could see the proverbial light bulb light up inside Dana's head. “McMullen”, she noticed. “The boss of Gentek.”

“Exactly. If I get to him, then I will have the answers.” _How_ he was going to do so was his thing. Dana didn't need to know how he got information. It pained him she already knew that much of him- because he hadn't seen her when jumping across the roofs.

Speaking of which...

“Dana. Why have you been on the roof?”

She blinked, then snorted. “I was cooped up in there for days. I just wanted a fresh breath of air. Also...” She squirmed a bit. “I wanted to look for you. Because...well. I kinda need a few of my things. From my old apartment.”

Right. People usually needed food, basic hygiene and change of clothes. Alex glanced back to where an helicopter was circling Times Square, so he took a hold of Dana's shoulder and slowly shoved her back towards the roof exit. “It'll be better if you're not seen with me”, he grumbled.

Dana tried to resist, but she had only little to offer against him. After all, Alex could pick up cars with no trouble. Dana's unwillingness to move didn't even register. After he got her through the door, she finally relented and headed into the apartment herself. “Ugh, fine”, she complained as she unlocked the door. “But you better get me some snacks. I'm running on fumes here.”

“McMullen?”

Dana sighed and plopped down in her chair. “McMullen, so he's gotta be pretty close to Blackwatch, right?”

“Blackwatch's working with the Marines. The general's name is Randall, if that helps any.”

Dana's expression changed into an excited grin. “Of course it helps. Here- look at this.” She tapped the mouse and several articles appeared on screen.

_'A Terrorist attack on New York with an unknown biological weapon'_

_'Chemical Spill!'_

_'USS Reagan arrives in New York harbor'_

“The _Reagan_?” Alex inclined his head. He had heard of it. The carrier had come to aid in the efforts of Blackwatch. And it was probably a good command center.

“Yeah. It's supposed to remain off the southern coast. But If I was Black Ops, I'd be there. I bet McMullen's there too.”

Most likely. It didn't look like this Randall person was the type to leave his assets unchecked.

“If you have your answers-” Dana asked, eyes locked with his. “What then?”

Alex scoffed. “Then I'll make sure he never does it to anyone else. Ever again.” Dana shuddered slightly, so he took it as a sign to leave her alone. He did made a mental note to make it up to her once he returned.

But first: McMullen.

Now outside and away from Dana's eyes, he finally let the hold he had on his claws up. His skin bristled and twisted, shifting into his lethal talons as he raced across the roofs. He couldn't barrel right into Battery Park like this, he knew. If McMullen and Randall were present, then there was going to be a Hell of defensive systems.

But he was going to head through the infected zone to reach the south end of Manhattan- and he could easily work off his frustration there.

* * *

 

As he neared the Battery Park, Alex had started to move more carefully. Once he passed the construction site of the  _Freedom Tower_ , he had abandoned the roofs and went back to the streets, forcing himself to move at a more human pace.

By the time he reached the tall concrete walls the Marines and Blackwatch had erected around Battery Park to cut it off from the city, he had shifted into one of the poor fools he'd consumed. Another guy with his face hidden behind a balaclava, another Marine in an army.

Nobody suspected a thing, nobody looked at him twice as he moved through the guarded gate and stepped into the park area.

He remembered Battery Park from earlier- from other memories- but this looked different. There were crates stacked all around Castle Clinton; tanks and helicopters were parked on the greens.

“Shit”, he muttered to himself. “This is a fortress.” He looked around, watching the soldiers. _Someone here knows McMullen. And they're going to tell me all they know._

He noticed the Marines milling about, so he quickly decided to imitate their behavior. He swiftly grabbed a rifle from a nearby crate, so they wouldn't question his lack of one, and slowly started to circle the area to memorize it. He figured out that in the northern part, he wasn't going to find anything. He saw a large building that seemed to have been re-purposed as barracks and lunch room, and decided that there, he wasn't going to find anything (or he possibly could, but then he had to murder everybody there and figure out what they knew for a chance). No.

He turned his attention to the south, to the Battery Garden restaurant and the hall-like ferry terminal. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the  _Reagan_ just beyond the building in the water, several Viral Scanners nearby and a second concrete-and-steel wall with barbed wire on top.

_Bingo_

Best chances to get some real info there. Alex quickly drew closer, careful not to draw too much attention to himself, when he noticed the single black-and-white Blackwatch mook. That guy was the most important one here- but he didn't move his ass out of the perimeters. Alex glanced around as he took a different position just besides the closed-down Sea Glass Carousel. He drew closer, staying barely out of the range of the scanners to look for a way in.

But it were simply too many of them and too many soldiers around the guy he wanted to take- it would be virtually impossible to get close enough to consume him stealthily.

Though...would he  _need_ it? He just needed information, after all. Alex looked back to the gate, then to the man, estimating the distance. It wasn't too far- and he was fast, after all. 

_Okay. Let's do this._

Alex scowled and dropped his rifle. As it clattered to the ground, he had already taken several strides towards the closed-off area. His body bristled and within three more steps, he had turned back into himself.

Everybody's attention was on him in an instant.

Two more steps later and the air was filled with shouts and the cracking of rifles- but by then, Alex had already spread his arms to the sides and changed them into his talons once more. Three more yards further and the Blackwatch commander had spun around as well, was backing off, barking into his radio. Alex pushed up his speed some more, tearing across the asphalt and paving stones.

He slammed into the commander at full speed, his ears picking up a choking noise and the snapping of several bones. But his heart was still beating. Good enough. Alex twisted in mid-step, grabbed the guy's throat with his claws, and jumped off the floor, screwing his body high up while dragging the Blackwatch commander with him. He hit the roof of the ferry terminal and he easily pushed himself away from the edge. He didn't have much time- he could already hear the orders for the tanks and helicopters to be manned, so he dropped his catch to the roof. The man choked and squirmed on the ground, just for a second until Alex pinned him down and jabbed his claws through his sternum to kill him.

His tentacles made short process with the guy, and he braced himself against the splitting headache that pierced his skull without warning.

“ _The fuck is this thing? Some kind of UFO?”_

“ _Shut the fuck up, Brunner, and listen up. We know ZEUS had been spotted multiple times in the area around Hell's Kitchen- so we're breaking down some new tech to pin it down. This unmanned aerial vehicle can detect the virus at less than ten parts per million in open air. With it, we should be able to box ZEUS in and destroy it.”_

Alex's eyes widened. UAVs. Drones. Sniffers able to pick up his trace no matter where he was. They would be able to find him. They would be able to track him.

They would know where he was, where he had been, where he spend time.

_Dana!_

This single thought flashed through his body with an urgency that made everything else pale in comparison. If they could track where he'd been, then they would, without question, find her. Take her away from him.

“I got to take them out before they can find Dana”, he hissed. “I have to stop them.”

A helicopter suddenly appeared right in front of him, spewing high-density bullets. Alex snarled and rushed right towards it, kicking off the roof with enough power to slam hard into the chopper. It instantly lost its control and spun towards the ground, shattering on contact and chopping a few men up with its rotor. He had no time for this. He curled his body and burst away with an Air Dash, then hit the floor besides the inner wall running. The surface cracked and buckled as he barreled head first through the Marines. Bullets flew everywhere like homicidal hornets, though the Marines were bad shots. More projectiles hit their own men than actually hitting him- but he didn't dare waste any time. With a single bound, he crossed the outer wall and landed smack in the middle of the Water Street. Too far to the south, but at least the giant towering buildings would hide him well. He already heard the voices of the soldiers fade as he took a sharp turn to head back to Dana. He wanted to do nothing more than get to her and see her being all right, but he was aware that before that, he had to make sure he got rid of any and all Blackwatch spies to prevent them from knowing.

A sudden shrill screech made him whirl around startled. He was near the Washington Square Park already, half the way to Dana's when  _something_ had flitted by from the corner of his eyes and suddenly started squealing right into his ears. Out of pure instinct alone, Alex instantly threw his fist at it and shattered it to pieces. Only then he actually took time to look at it.

It was one of the UAVs- and it was still beeping.

Alex scowled and crunched it under his foot, though three more already started to hover near his head. And all of them were  _screeching_ , telling Blackwatch exactly where he was.  _Shit_ .

Alex pounced off the roof in an attempt to escape to another building, but the Sniffers followed after him, squealing.

“ _Strike Package Alert. Strike Package Alert.”_

_Double shit_

Alex changed trajectory immediately by kicking off the wall of  _New York University_ . He slammed hard into one of the UAVs and shattered it, then air-dashed back to tackle the second one. The third one kept shrieking, so Alex yanked one of the NYU flags off its holding and jabbed it into the drone's rotor to drop it.

But by then a Blackhawk from Battery Park swooped down, shooting at him. Alex lunged to the side and dropped back into the street- right in front of one of two tanks. Both cannons swung into his direction, forcing him to roll to the side to avoid the shell- but now the helicopter came at him again. Alex barely managed to dive out of its way and behind one of the tanks, though the driver noticed him and stepped on the pedals in hopes of running him over. Alex hissed and swung around, slamming both hands flat against the front of the tank in hopes of stopping it. His feet dug trenches into the asphalt beneath as he threw his entire weight against the Abrams. He heard the engine howl and the treads skip across the street as well- so he was at least slowing it down.

But it wasn't  _enough_ .

His body twitched once- then  _every_ muscle in his body increased in size and strength. Alex noticed his legs and chest turning more defined, though still hidden beneath his clothes, while his arms shifted the most. His dark sleeves were replaced for steel-like gray skin that was stretched over massive bulging muscles. There were no claws or knobby growths like when he had his Hammerfists active- the only difference was that his ulna was no longer beneath his skin, but stood away from the main bulk of his arm and joined his elbow. But other than that, those arms didn't look too different from normal human arms. Just with the biceps being the size of his head.

The tank's engine howled out- and the entire thing stopped dead in its tracks. Alex snarled and stepped to the front, shoving the vehicle back. The helicopter circled again and stopped in the air, switching its machine gun for missiles. They bit into Alex's flesh and burnt their way through his system, but he didn't budge from the tank. Instead, he ducked a bit to avoid the worst of the volley, while his fingers slid under the edge of the Abrams. He was so  _pissed_ at these fucks, he was going to kill all of them.

With a roar, Alex jerked back, still holding on to the tank- and pulled it off the street to heave it over his head. It did offer adequate protection against the Blackhawk's missiles and the fact he was just _casually_ _lifting sixty tons_ stopped the other tank- and about everybody else in the immediate area.

Alex stopped too, marveling at his own strength, when he narrowed his eyes on the Blackhawk's shadow on the ground and the whirl of air betraying its position. He knew where exactly that bastard was, knew its distance and the height it was hovering at. He hauled his arms back, then thrust them to the front with all strength.

Throwing the tank at the helicopter.

Sixty tons in motion weren't stopped easily. The Blackhawk simply  _ceased to exist_ , while the Abrams just continued shooting through the air until it hit the art gallery across the street. The vehicle easily crashed through the wall and the floors below, and continued going until it was about halfway inside and on the lowest level, but by then the massive amount of damage it had caused on its way collapsed the entire building into a cloud of dust and rubble.

People screamed and dove for cover, while Alex just stood there, blinking. Slowly, a grin appeared on his face. He had just taken down an entire building and killed God knows how many civilians- but he just didn't give a Fuck about them. No, all he cared about was the sheer amount of  _power_ he had. It was exhilarating, it was addictive- and he already realized that he wouldn't want to trade this for anything in the world.

Still grinning, he turned to face the remaining tank, and lunged at it. The driver tried to get it into a safe distance, but Alex easily grabbed the cannon and let himself be pulled along, before he used the momentum to swing to the top of the vehicle. He glanced at his massive paws (quickly dubbing this ability 'Musclemass'), then at the sky. Those Sniffers would easily find his position, and he would have to get too close to them to destroy them.

But if he could pick them off from afar...the tank offered four things at once- range, destructive abilities, protection and a way to move. Even though forty miles was far slower than he could move normally, the additional time he saved by using the tank for destruction and protection would easily balance it out.

He snorted, then leaned down to dig his fingers into the hatch. He strained once- and yanked it clean out. A bullet clipped his forehead, though the damage had already healed over when he glared into the tank. An Abrams was usually controlled by four men. Four  _scared_ men in confined space.

And Alex had taken damage from the Blackhawk. With a snarl, he dropped into the tank and instantly grabbed the closest guy's head, smashing it to bits before his tentacles came out to grab the remains. The other guys were panicking, hard, but they couldn't get anywhere. Bullets were useless against Alex anyways, so they weren't able to stop him when he went on to consume them as well.

“ _Sir, the Wisemen team is present and ready for the hunt...is it true he caught the last Runner on his own?”_

“ _McMullen, stop talking about Mercer like he's the answer to our problem. He's a damn Runner!”_

“ _The Marines? Listen here, I'm going to lay it bare: The old man brought them in for two reasons- one, they are the shock troops, they move in to take the losses, point out the enemy and we do the cleanup. Second, they're the public face of this occupation. When the city is burned to the ground, they take the fall.”_

He gripped the backrest of the driver's seat hard and clenched his teeth when memories raced through his skull. More lives burnt themselves into his skull. Memories of men that had contact with Randall, with McMullen; memories of men who talked about Runners, about Hives, about the Marines.

He grunted, then turned his attention to the various screens around. One of them showed a map of Manhattan, with several moving dots. Those were the locations of the other Sniffer teams. Alex slid into the driver's seat and fired up the engine.

With ease, he took control of the vehicle, and started to drive it along the Square Park to get to the 6 th Avenue. One of the dots was too close to Dana's safehouse for his taste, but there was another team right on the way- and if they figured  _where_ he was, they should stop what they were doing and try to target him.

Alex hoped so, but still cranked up the speed to move faster. The cars he ran over didn't even begin to register, being only speed bumps to his Abrams.

He relaxed slightly, even though his heart was racing, and slumped in his seat. He felt his body unravel, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw black and red strands of flesh weaving their way through the tank, taking control over the cannons. Taking control as if they were experienced hands, trained in warfare for years. But they were  _him_ , all of this was him. And he was able to work  _all_ the positions on his own. Just that he would never be alone- not with all those voices in his head, now more than a dozen.

Alex grunted and turned his attention back to the street. He couldn't be distracted here, he had to make sure Blackwatch wouldn't find his trace. He heard the static warble of the radio, glared at it for a split moment, before he smashed it. No use listening to them.

The Abrams rounded a corner at 7 th and 30 th , and Alex's eyes narrowed on the convoy of two tanks and four UAVs. He targeted the mounted machine gun at the small drones and fired short bursts, downing two in an instant and damaging the other two so they dropped into the street as well. Without waiting, he quickly switched back to the main cannon and fired three times at the hind-most tank to blow it up. By then, the crew of the other tried to get into position, but Alex was simply faster. The combined knowledge of dozen men in one body was a lot more efficient than four single guys. They never stood a chance, and his Abrams slid around the corner to the 8 th Avenue. He ground his foot down on the pedal and the tank lurched to the front, engine roaring in his ears. He heard the screams of the people outside, enraged honking from the other cars as they hastily pulled away to allow him passage, and the wail of police sirens. No wonder, he did drive through the city in a  _tank_ , and he didn't exactly drive safe. He had no intention to do so either- these idiots saw the giant military vehicle coming through, they could get right out of the way. The police didn't bother him either- and anyways, they weren't too important.

Dana's safety was all that mattered.

And the convoy there was entirely  _too close_ to her position. Alex noticed the UAVs blink yellow, even at the distance and through the bad quality of the screens, and he knew there wasn't any time left. With ease, he targeted the small drones and shot with the machine gun a few times, taking them down.

That was when a loud explosion roared into his ears and his tank shuddered. It weren't the two tanks that accompanied the Sniffers- it was something else. Frantically, Alex tapped the screens to get a better view, only to notice three helicopters swoop down. One was a Blackhawk- but the others? Apaches. Faster and heavier armed. Attack choppers.

_Fuck it_

Alex stepped hard on the brakes, and yanked the control around, so his tank slid across the street and forced the helicopters to circle in order to target him again. He growled and aimed the main cannon again, then kicked the pedal once more to lurch to the front, targeting one of the helicopters. He pressed the trigger- and one of the Apaches exploded into a violent ball of fire. By sheer luck, he also managed to take out the remaining UAVs hovering in the air, but left himself wide open for the other two choppers and the tanks. His Abrams took two more hits (he wasn't too sure whether it were tank shells or missiles), so it was already heavily damaged by the time he managed to pick off one of the two tanks.

Then an Hellfire missile hit his vessel and completely devastated it. Alex choked once, instantly shot up from his seat and launched himself out of the hatch to avoid the explosion that followed. He was back out in the open, so he immediately rushed towards an alleyway to get cover. He heard the static screech of the radios as the men demanded for back-up or his exact position.

Better stop them as fast as possible. Alex shot up and landed harshly on a roof, already diving towards the AC units mounted there. He tore one out of its holding and spun around to aim at the Apache. He chucked it to the front.

Seconds later, his projectile hit with deadly force, and far faster than he usually managed to throw- until he realized that he was still sporting his Musclemass-enhanced arms. It appeared they boosted all of his powers, not just the lifting strength. Well, he could think of a few things to do with them.

One tank and one Blackhawk left. Alex decided to go for the flying menace first, since it was way faster and able to target him much easier than the heavy tank. He rushed across the roof and jumped off it to get against the facade of the neighboring one, then ran straight up. At the edge, he rocketed off and shot skywards, propelled higher than before due to the more powerful muscles in his legs. His attention turned back downwards, eyes narrowing on the helicopter as he focused on it. His body shivered again and his engorged muscles shrank back, though his mass redistributed itself to his hands, twisting them into the concrete-like Hammerfists. Alex swung them down  _hard_ , and the momentum pulled him down towards the Blackhawk. Bringing his fists down, Alex collided with the vehicle, the concrete-like skin instantly breaking the rotor and smashing into the metal. The helicopter and Alex both dropped towards the street, and their combined weight and remaining kinetic energy tore a good-sized crater into the floor at the intersection. Windows all around them cracked, cars were flipped over and people were flung off their feet.

Dust obstructed Alex's view and acrid smoke from the damaged engine bit into his lungs, but he felt incredibly  _alive_ . Nothing could stop him. Nothing could do any lasting damage. Blackwatch had screwed up.

His head snapped to the side, and his world suddenly dropped into colors of blue, red, yellow and white. The smoke became invisible, while the humans around glowed in a warm orange. Alex's own body burned in white, as did the tank's cannon muzzle and brake discs. He lunged into its direction, ripping through the dust and smoke of the wrecked helicopter as he rushed towards the remaining tank while his vision turned back to normal. The cannon swung into his direction and fired once- Alex dodged it by leaping upwards, lifting his fists over his head. He came back down and slammed them into the chassis, cracking the armor. Two hits later and the tank had been flattened into the ground.

He snorted and lifted himself from the wreckage, his Hammerfists turning back into normal human arms. The immediate threat was gone, but he had seen more spots, all over East Manhattan- more Sniffer teams. Alex had been too hasty to stop them from finding Dana, so he had to distract them by destroying the other teams too.

But that was fine by him. He still had some energy left. And he did need to make a clean sweep to make sure Blackwatch was nowhere near Dana.

* * *

 

When the explosions had started, Dana had ducked under her table with a swear. She had waited with held breath until it had stopped, before she carefully crawled back out and inched towards the door. She had to know what had happened- after all,  _if_ Blackwatch came knocking, she'd rather have a bit of warning.

She pulled her hood back over her head to shield her face, spending another moment to make sure that even from above she wouldn't look like Alex, before she carefully slid the roof exit open and peeked out. She couldn't see anything, but she heard sirens yowl all over the block. Dana snuck out and glanced down, and her heart stopped for a moment.

The street just a block further down was  _thrashed_ . A giant crater with the broken remains of an helicopter made up most of the intersection; black, twisted metal was everywhere, two more helicopters were strewn about haphazardly, and she counted three tanks- two blown up and one pancake-flat in the ground. Marines cut the entire street off, and she did notice a few of those Blackwatch fucks around. But all of them seemed nervous, rifles held tightly in their grasps.

“What the fuck?” Dana heard herself ask as she ducked down and quickly snuck back into the building. That down there, it had looked like a war zone- if terrorists used air conditioning units to take down helicopters.

Realization hit her like a sledgehammer, and she slowly sank down in front of her computer, eyes wide. “Oh God”, she mumbled. “Alex!”

She inhaled once and went back to her computer, hacking in several commands. She quickly found the still-open news pages and read in shock about 'Explosions all over the city', and 'War against terrorists'. She spun around and reached into a cupboard besides her, pulling out an old Police radio. She had found it about six weeks ago when jogging, and instead of giving it back, she had kept it.

Now it would finally see use.

She tapped it on and circled through the different frequencies.  _“ZEUS has slipped the net- be on guard.”_

ZEUS? She was pretty sure they meant Alex with it. Or, at the very least, this is what she would call a super-powered guy.  _“Shit, anyone has coordinates?”_

“ _Last seen at the American Museum. Headed for Central Park. Keep on lookout for Mercer.”_

The explosions hadn't stopped too long ago, Dana realized. But when Alex was already over at the Eastside, then he must have been busy drawing these fucks away.

Because she doubted he'd bring the tanks here to dump them near her door. No, it looked more like he had tried to stop them- and was now somewhere in the city to wreck havoc and draw attention.

Away from her?

“ _Shit! Requesting Strike Team Package! ZEUS is here!”_

Dana stared at the radio with wide eyes. She was worried. Worried for him.

He said he would be okay, but there had been  _three_ tanks  _and_ helicopters out there- and this were obviously only what she'd seen. 'Strike Team' didn't sound too good either. She swallowed and was about to switch the radio off, not willing to listen to them hunt her brother like an animal, when she heard the message  _“ZEUS slipped the net.”_

So he had gotten away.

She was listening anxiously for anything more, but she got nothing. Dana exhaled and slowly sank back, then shut the radio off. So Alex had gotten away from them. She should have been more careful about sending him after McMullen- Battery Park sounded like a singularly bad idea now.

Okay. Okay. Maybe she should check up on Blackwatch's defensive side, then?

The building shook slightly, and her head snapped up when she heard the faint sound of a door opening and closing. When she heard keys clack, she was out of her chair and at the door within an heartbeat. She yanked it open, taking in Alex's startled expression, before she launched herself at him and hugged him fiercly.

He froze, went stone-still.

“Oh, Alex”, she sniffed, “I've been scared.”

He trembled a bit. “Scared? Had Blackwatch-”

“They've been outside. I have seen the tanks and the helicopters”, Dana muttered. “I thought- I thought they've gotten you.”

He scoffed, but it sounded actually  _amused_ . “Don't worry”, he replied easily. “They've tried to find you, but I stopped them.”

Dana blinked and pulled away from him, frowning at him. Alex didn't look too bothered. “They tried to figure out where I spend time. I stopped them. And then I wrecked havoc all over the city to draw their attention away from you.”

“But- Alex- you could have _died_!”

His lips twitched. Maybe he tried to smile, or grin, but it didn't work. “Don't worry, Dana. I have been dead once, and I'm not keen on repeating it. And actually...I guess it had been kind of fun.”

“Fun?” She blinked at him. “Alex- you have been chased by a Black Ops _kill team_ \- and you thought it was _fun_?!” Did he hit his head or something?

Alex shrugged. “I got to drive a tank and blow shit up. I'd say it was time well spent.”

“But McMullen-”

“He won't go anywhere. And you- you are far more important than my past. I would let nothing happen to you. I promise.”

 


	8. In the Web

 

Alex laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The voices were still there, still screaming inside his head- but now there were entirely _too many_ of them to pick out a single one. More than a dozen dead men, all screaming in unison- but if he didn't focus they all blended together, creating a sort of background noise.

Not entirely the best noise, but still leagues better than having only three or four voices. Turning his attention elsewhere helped a lot too. Alex slowly shifted his head and looked at the wall separating him from Dana. He could hear her even breathing and her pulse. She was sleeping peacefully, unbothered by what was going on out there. He felt she deserved it, after everything she had to put up with. At least for eight hours or so.

When he returned from trying to draw Blackwatch away from her, he had remembered to stop by her apartment and pick up some things, finding a bag to store all of it inside. After that, he scouted through some stores he found in the infected zones and gathered some more things as well. The fridge was filled with jugs of water, eggs and a little bit of milk; and the cupboards found their limit with the canned goods and non-perishable products. Dana had asked him where he got all this, but he simply responded by pushing the smaller bag containing her clothes into her hands. Some things were better left unsaid, especially when it meant to prevent her from trying to brave the city herself.

Dana was asleep now, and Alex had tried to do the same, taking over the couch instead of using the other bedroom.

Just that he couldn't sleep. His mind remained awake and alert, even when he closed his eyes. That was why he was lying here now, trying to figure out what to do next. He didn't need sleep, not even after moving nearly non-stop for four days ( _five_ , he reminded himself with a glance at the clock- it were five days now)- and he didn't feel any worse for wear.

Just another _perk_ of his condition.

He inhaled and focused on the wall, remembering what he'd done before. He had unlocked some sort of...thermal vision that allowed him to see through smoke. Like the Claws and the Hammerfists, it had been a change in the structure of his body- but a lot more subtle than his weapons. Like on command, his world shifted into shades of blue. There was nothing warm nearby, so he turned his head. His own arm was glowing white, much hotter than the people he'd seen on the street. He shifted his attention to the couch, glancing at the orange and yellow spots on the seats where he was lying. Alex slowly sat up and looked to the side. Dana's computers were warmer than the area around them, bright orange spots in otherwise dull blue surroundings. The various electrical appliances around were also warmer than the room itself.

There was a pitch in Dana's breathing pattern, and the muffled sound of her turning over- drawing his attention. He blinked when he noticed her orange-glowing silhouette. It was muted through the wall- any thicker and he wouldn't have been able to see her at all- but as it was, he could look right through thin walls. It was quite handy.

As handy as his weapons, just less lethal. Alex grunted and slowly lifted his hand to change it into his claw as his vision turned back to normal. Spiky black chitin and metallic nails greeted his eyes. He turned his hand over, threw a quick glance at Dana's sleeping form, before he shifted his attention back to his arm. These talons were what he'd gotten originally from his first Hunter, and every one he consumed after that had streamlined them and increased their toughness and sharpness to their current state. They were his original weapon- and he had created his Hammerfists from them. The Musclemass was different- it had been a sudden mutation, an automatic response of his body to increase his strength.

With a mental control, Alex pulled the Musclemass to the front, letting his claws vanish in the process. He could watch how his legs and chest bulked up beneath his clothes, while his jacket sleeves turned into scaly, gray skin that stretched over absurdly giant muscles. He flexed his five fingers once, then shifted to the heavy Hammerfists. He even pulled out his shield once and turned it a bit.

He frowned as he dismissed everything and shifted back to the claws. All of these transformations were neat and useful- but he did have troubles with far-off targets. Like those UAVs. They reacted to his presence, but only when he was within a twenty-to-fifty-foot radius. He'd needed something to take them out from a distance, something that they wouldn't react to.

Maybe he should start carrying a rifle with him? The UAVs, at least, broke easily. But there was the problem with the gunshots- if he wasn't in a war zone, then any noise would give away his position and leave him with another batch of gunships chasing him down. No, he'd need something more silent.

Alex glanced back at his claw, then dismissed the left one. Maybe...maybe he could change the talons? Longer nails would be ridiculous though, impractical and unstable. But what if he could...stretch his arm? He could shift his appearance, after all; and those Groundspikes he had used were still connected to him, even if he could grow them several yards away from himself. So he already did have the ability to stretch parts of himself away from the center mass. He just needed to put it into a more...flexible modification.

Alex turned the talon, then focused on his claws. They were too long to be aerodynamic, but at the same time, it would be better if he kept nails at all, to allow him to latch onto things. They just needed to be smaller.

But they weren't the main problem: The length of his arm was. Alex wondered how he was supposed to make it a viable ranged weapon- if he created it in a way that it would already have its final length- fifty feet at least- then it would be awkward to drag it along the entire time. Plus he would require a serious amount of strength and time to whip it around- exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

The couch creaked under his weight, followed by a sudden loud _crack_. Alex was off it and at the opposite side of the room in a heartbeat, having crouched down to face whatever threat there was. As he realized, it was just the couch that had finally given in under his weight.

With a sigh and feeling a little stupid for panicking, he went back to it and frowned at it. The middle was broken, and the cover torn. Something glinting took his attention, and he bent down to grab it.

A spring.

Alex cocked his head curiously, then pried the spring apart, pulling it into its original state as metal rod. It was far longer than its previous form and less stable, flopping about in his hand.

 _Wait...this could actually work_.

He turned his attention to his talon and focused on the strands of flesh that made up his arm. If he could coil them together, wrap them around each other- then he could store the entire length of the whip in the size of his arm. He huffed out and walked to the door to leave the apartment. This sort of thing was best done outside and away from people he might hurt.

At least he'd have something to do instead of staring at the ceiling.

He pounced off the roof and headed for the Westside. The Infected Zone. Red Zone, as Blackwatch called it. If he was spotted there, then nothing should link him to Dana's safehouse. The darkness would allow him for better cover as well, and the hundreds of Infected would allow for adequate practice targets.

* * *

 

Alex had ended up south of the Columbia University, when he decided that it was a good place to start. He had an adequate view of the Infected Zones, while being far away enough so Blackwatch wouldn't notice him. He had seen several roadblocks on the way there, attempts of the Marines to stop the Infection. A useless endeavor, he knew, because the stuff was spreading and nothing seemed to stop it.

Greene needed to die. Greene was the leader of it. The head of the Infection. If he could get to her, if he could kill her, then the Infection was going to lose in efficiency. He couldn't say _why_ \- but he knew that this was the most probable outcome. He'd seen the Infected. The Infection itself wasn't working like a sickness _should_ \- the Infected didn't behave like diseased people. They were more like drones- acting on Greene's orders, like worker bees worked for the queen in the hive; steadily increasing the area they claimed.

He wondered whether Blackwatch knew this.

And then he wondered why he should care. Blackwatch tried to kill him. Tried to kill Dana. Karen. They had caused this, and he was going to stop Greene, because she was a threat to him and Dana. He was also going to make sure nothing remained of Greene that Blackwatch would be able to take back and continue their work.

 

His arm shivered, and he glanced down at it. The weapon was fully formed by now- a mass of red and black barbed tentacles wrapped into the shape of a nearly human arm. The coils were tight, brimming with stored energy. His claws were shorter now- the two middle ones stood to the front like spears, the two outer ones had grown to the side, like hooks. He retained his thumb- a fifth, sharp claw at the center of his palm. But the transformation was finished, nothing shifted anymore. His body had adapted to form the weapon he wanted- the question was; would it be sufficient for his needs?

Only one way to find out.

Alex hopped off the roof he had been on and landed in the streets. The resounding crack stirred the Infected that roamed these parts, and drew them on him. His body bristled in agitation, craving bloodshed. They were kin, he knew, but they were lesser beings. Their only purpose to him was prey. He had no problems with killing them.

He glanced at the closest Infected. Torn uniform, used to be a cop. He was about sixteen feet away from him. Alex moved his shoulder and moved his arm behind his body, flexing the claws on his new weapon.

 _Here goes nothing_.

Alex flung the arm to the front as if he was throwing a punch, but with the target still several strides away.

Didn't matter though- because the punch _connected_. The energy stored in the coils of his flesh exploded outwards and thrust his hand to the front, shooting rapidly at his target and slamming right through his chest, then went on until it buried into a taxi.

Alex blinked, then pulled back. The talons slid out of the metal and snapped back to him, tearing a larger wound into the infected that it had done before curtsey of the barbed hooks that covered the individual strands of flesh that made up his arm. While the Infected collapsed into a wet heap, the muscles in Alex's arm coiled up and got ready for the next swing. Alex cocked his head, then turned his attention at an Infected about thirty feet from his current position. He shot the whip out again, and nailed the thing with no problems. This time, when he pulled back, he made sure to flip his claw up to slice through the Infected lengthwise.

His whip left it in two neat halves. Alex slammed the whip back down on top of another three Infected and smashed them into pulp before he dragged the weapon back. With a grin, he took off running and headed for a nearby crowd. In mid-motion, he let the whip shoot out again, this time in a flat angle. He used his own momentum to spin around, and the whip slashed in a circle through all the Infected. Fifty diseased bodies hit the ground in a near-simultaneously splat, while Alex's whip burried into a nearby brick facade. He paused, then yanked it out and the arm shortened back. It wasn't as powerful like his Hammerfists and neither his claws, but the range was useful. Plus the speed the whip moved at gave it additional power, though heavily armored foes would probably shrug the blow off.

Still, it gave Alex a good feeling that he now had something to take those UAVs and water towers out without being near it. Now he just needed to figure out how to deal with helicopters other than 'throw stuff at them'. But that could wait. First of, he was going to try out his newly-christened 'Whipfist', before he would head back to Dana and check up with her. Back when he headed out, he had seen Blackwatch crowded around on the roofs of Hell's kitchen, doing _something_ . He could have wiped them out then and there, but if he had done so, then they would have known that he was trying to protect _something_ nearby. And he couldn't risk their attention. Which was why he had to let them do whatever they were doing and get back to them before they could finish it, then act like he found them by accident. It was no secret he had no love for them.

He could work with this.

* * *

 

The couch was broken. Dana furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. The couch was broken. Snapped right in the middle.

“Okay. What the fuck?” She asked nobody in particular, because the only one who could have answered it wasn't anywhere to be seen. She did have a pretty good idea what had happened, though- the middle-most depression was where Alex would have sat his ass. Dana sighed and turned away from the ruined furniture. Thing must have been faulty or something. Hopefully her friend wouldn't mind.

Dana headed to the kitchenette and poked through the goodies Alex had brought yesterday. Her mood lifted instantly, though she would have preferred snacks and sweets over canned soup and beef- but it was sweet of him to have thought about her. It was like they were kids again- with him always being at her side and making sure she had whatever she needed, even if it meant he had to step back. But he had never complained about it, never complained about not getting enough food for himself (was the reason he'd always been so skinny when growing up), never complained about freezing in the night, never complained about being beat up by either some assholes in school or their own mother. That had ended five years ago, when they stopped seeing each other, and Dana knew how cold her brother had become. But now, now he was back. He had fucking movie amnesia and superpowers, but it was almost as if somebody had pressed the 'Reset' button in his head and he was her loving big brother again.

Still, all of this felt like a bad dream. Zombies, superviral infections, Blackwatch, Alex's powers- Dana expected to wake up any given moment.

Her rational mind was yelling at her that this _must_ be a dream, while the remaining part of her had to realize that this was indeed _real_ . She was aware she was in danger- everybody in Manhattan was in danger- and the Infection was spreading. She had looked at the reports before she went to bed, and Alex supplied her with additional information. Manhattan was _dying_ , and she was unable to do anything against it. Alex had promised he'd stop it, but realistically? What were his chances to actually manage this? Dana had no idea, but she knew that she had to pick a side- and those Blackwatch bastards had it screwed up by trying to murder her and her brother.

Speaking of whom...

The door slid open, revealing Alex in his whole grimy glory- hoodie and all. Dana had the sudden urge to yank this stupid hoodie off him, shove him into the bathtub and scrub him down until he was sparkly clean. Because, quite honestly, he did smell like a mixture of something that had died, coupled with the acrid stench of gun powder and the sharp odor of blood. But then again, the city was going to shit- so it wasn't really _his_ fault, was it?

He paused when he saw her, swaying slightly on his feet. “You're awake.” It wasn't a question, but rather an observation.

Dana shrugged. “Couldn't sleep all that well, you know. Too much on my mind.”

“The Infection?” Wow, he actually _sounded_ worried, even when it didn't reflect on his face.

“And Blackwatch.” She sighed and rubbed her arms. “I'm not going to lie- but I'm fucking scared about this whole shit situation.”

“Me too”, Alex replied. “But I will make sure that Blackwatch won't find you. I told you, nobody is going to harm you. I promise.”

Dana snorted, and smiled a little. “Yeah. I know you will.” Because it had always been like this. But before, they only had to figure out how to live with an alcoholic mother and little money. Now it had become a giant clusterfuck. Blackwatch, Marines, Zombies, amnesia, Superpowers...Dana knew that nothing was going to be the same again. And even _if_ they survived this- what comes after that? Blackwatch probably wasn't happy about them throwing spokes into their wheels. And if that was true what she'd seen and what Alex told her, then they were going to make them disappear. How long would they be able to get away?

“They won't get you”, Alex growled in a low tone as if he could read minds. “I will not allow it. Whoever comes after us will _die_.” He paused, eyes narrowing. “And I will also kill Elizabeth Greene. I will stop this madness. I will stop everything. And then we will be able to go. Then we can leave this place.”

Oh wow. This sounded suspiciously like an extended murder/suicide pact. Only that Alex wouldn't hurt her, she knew. So it was just his weird way of telling her he was going to make everything right again.

She hoped.

“Do they have to die? Blackwatch, I mean.” She asked carefully, eyes settled on his face.

“Yes”, he answered. It made Dana shiver. It wasn't the tone he was talking in- it was the _lack_ of it. Yes. He was telling her he was going to murder God knew how many in that dead serious way. He wasn't joking or anything- he was really going to go through with it.

And she had seen him put a fist through a man's chest. She had no doubt he would go through with it.

“They are a threat”, he added, as if he was trying to justify himself. “They kill without remorse. They are also responsible for what is going on here. In how far I can't tell- but I will find out.”

“Jesus”, Dana groaned. “I'm going to need a stiff drink. Which is kind of funny- because there's not a drop of alcohol here.”

“Alcohol's not good for you”, Alex pointed out helpfully. Dana blinked, then chuckled and swatted his arm slightly. “I know. Don't like the taste either, but in a situation like this people can only drink.”

“I really rather you don't”, he replied. “I need you. Sober.”

She threw her arms up in an exaggerated gesture. “Oh fine. I submit myself to your no-fun policy. Very well.” She stepped back and glanced at the couch again. “Mind telling me what you've done with my furniture?”

Alex winced. “It simply...broke.”

“Really?” Dana shrugged. “Guess it wasn't a very good quality then.”

“I could pull it out of the room”, Alex offered. “Maybe get a new one?”

“And where are you going to get a new one? Your face is on the 'Most Wanted' lists.”

His expression twitched slightly. Dana knew that there was something going on inside his head and he was currently deciding whether to tell her. She wondered what this was about. “I've seen a few abandoned stores”, he offered instead. “I could get one here. If you want.”

She blinked, then shook her head. “Nah. It's not necessary. Not yet- and I seriously don't want any furniture from an infected zone.”

Alex hummed in understanding. “Maybe. The stuff is spreading, taking over any organic material to form those Hives.”

“Hives?” Dana blinked. “What are those?”

“Buildings affected through the virus.” Alex furrowed his brows. “They are grown over with veins, and there are those fleshy mounds all over their surface. Most of the Infected come from those buildings.”

“Okay, so I know where _not_ to go”, Dana grinned. Alex's expression shifted to worried in an instant.

“Dana”, he hissed sharply. “Do _not_ go out there!”

“Hey”, she replied, putting her palm on his arm, “I was just joking. Okay? I know better than letting my face be seen out there. Those Black ops fuckers would be on my ass probably faster than I could look. So no. I'll stay in here.”

He relaxed, his shoulders slumping. “Promise me.”

“I promise”, Dana sighed. “I'm not going to leave this place. But you have to make sure they don't find us either.” She gestured to the outside with a vague wave of her hand. “I mean the thing yesterday? Those guys nearly found me, but you stopped them from doing so. I'm afraid it wouldn't be the last we've seen of them.”

“It's not”, Alex replied. “They're outside at the moment too. Trying to locate us.” He paused, then furrowed his brows. “Or better, locate _me_. They have detectors. Machines that can pick up the virus I have and follow it. Yesterday they had flying detectors, and they were trying to find my trail. Today, they have stationary detectors. I've seen them install them.”

Dana's eyes widened. “But- if they can find you, they can find me-”

“I know. And I will stop at _nothing_ to prevent exactly _that_ from happening.” He cocked his head. “However, when I've seen them start installing the detectors, I knew I couldn't destroy them right there and then.”

Dana furrowed her brows. “Why?”

“Because they think that I avoid areas I made contact with them in for a while. If I suddenly appear and take them apart before they even finished building the detectors, they will know two things: First, I know about the detectors, which they don't believe I do; and second, they will know that I am trying to protect something around here. That's why I had to let them do their thing.” He frowned unhappily, and Dana could tell he wasn't all too happy with his own decision. When he continued, she realized her suspicions had been correct. “I hate toying with your security this much”, he admitted, “But I needed them to believe they were safe. For the moment, anyways.”

Dana inclined her head, staring nervously at the wall. She trusted Alex, knew he would never do anything that would harm her- yet she still couldn't help but wonder when exactly Blackwatch was going to kick down her door. “You need to stop them.”

“Yes”

Dana shuddered at the thought of more people dying through Alex's hands- but the fear of Blackwatch finding her was much stronger. That one guy had barely grabbed her, yet she still had massive bruises along her arms. And despite his obvious violent streak and the movie amnesia, she trusted in Alex. She trusted in his ability to protect her. She had seen the tanks, after all- flattened into the street like pancakes.

She took a step back. “Then go”, she told him, glancing at her computer. “I'll go take another look at the files.”

By the time she looked back, he was gone.

* * *

 

The clatter of a Blackhawk's rotor betrayed the position of the closest scanner. Alex had been careful when he exited Dana's safehouse, had went down the stairwell instead of heading straight for the roof. Two levels further down and he had turned into Mark Mead, but avoided changing his surface into his uniform, deciding to go for civies instead. Once he had left the building, he quickly headed east first, went right into the middle of Times Square, before he ducked into a closed-down underground parking lot. There, he turned back into himself, rolled his shoulders- and burst out of the lot and back onto the street.

The street cracked from the force of his jump, as he catapulted himself on top of the billboard flanking the _Marquis_ 's main entrance. In one smooth motion, he lunged across the street towards the terrace-style hotel next to it and sped along its facade. The glass cracked beneath his feet and people started to take notice of him. Good enough- witnesses who spotted him helped hiding his point of origin and would hopefully throw Blackwatch off course. The muscles in his legs coiled when he reached the edge, and he leapt off to hit the brick facade of the _Paramount_. Then he headed straight up.

He heard voices from within the building, surprised yells and confused questions about what was going on, and a grim expression settled on his face. He sped up, and his legs tensed the closer he came to the clock and globe settled at the very spire of the construction.

He jumped off and rocketed into the sky, going another eleven stories up before his momentum petered out and gravity took a hold of him. He didn't let it, and leaned to the front, fanning his arms to the sides and spreading his legs like a base jumper in a wing-suit. He easily soared across the block, eyes peeled on the helicopter far below just above the _Kiser Theater_. They hadn't noticed him yet. They wouldn't be able to react in time.

Alex went for them. With a barely noticeable twitch of his body, he roughly changed his trajectory. He was still more than forty stories above the street level, and easily thirty-five over the Blackwatch troops, when he pressed his arms tightly against his body. His flesh rippled, then gave off a burst of air not unlike his air dash- and hurled itself downwards. Alex gasped when the cold air and sharp wind were biting into his eyes and face, stealing his breath. He felt the tendrils at the back of his skull strain to keep the hood in place as he shot towards the Blackhawk. His pulse jumped in one simple realization: _This is going to hurt._

Mere moments before he collided with the chopper, he threw his arms up to shield his face. He barely felt the impact however, didn't notice the heat and sharp metal wash over his body, didn't even register when he hit the roof.

When Alex's momentum finally wore off, he was about for levels beneath the roof, having torn massive holes into every floor slab in-between. He was aware of the construction still collapsing and dust still whirling upwards, when the sheer _agony_ from his drop settled in. He gasped and arched his back, panting through a ruined jaw as his shattered fingers dug through the rubble beneath. Within moments, his face regenerated back to its original shape, and his broken arms fixed themselves with a series of loud _cracks_. Choking, he struggled back to his feet just in time for his bones to knit themselves back together. The dust was still obstructing his view and stealing his breath, so Alex grunted once and easily jumped back towards the roof. The pain from before was already gone, but the memories of it continued to linger on. He groaned and rolled his shoulders, then settled his attention on the destruction he had wrought. The roof was shattered, the sky views cracked- and Alex could guess every single window in the building was broken. The Blackhawk was only little more than a twisted wreck, having spun right out of control and crashing into the roof next to the hole he'd torn. The scanner was distant memories now- just bits and pieces of it were strewn about, while most of it was somewhere down where Alex had just been. The Blackwatch soldiers that had been around...had kind of evaporated. There wasn't much of them left other than bits of flesh and sprays of blood.

One down...how many more left?

Alex furrowed his brows. It appeared he'd have to grab another soldier to figure this particular question out. He glanced to the west, finding a tank and more soldiers crowded near a parking lot. He headed over there next, ducked low to the roof to prevent being seen. But the loud crash he had caused with his Diving attack had drawn their attention anyways, and most of them were too busy barking orders and trying to figure out what had happened. Alex spied a single guy just off to the side. Nobody was looking into his direction- and he was in one line with him.

Hm. Being tied up with a ribbon and served on a silver platter couldn't have been a better invitation to him.

He got up and his right arm turned into his Whipfist, fleshy strands coiling together as he pulled the weapon back. This time, however, he didn't want to kill- he wanted to _fish_ . He threw his arm to the front and the Whipfist whistled through the air at a lethal speed. As it made contact, the man was thrown to the front from the sheer force of impact. Alex focused and his talons dug into the man's armor, holding him firmly. He pulled back, and the man was yanked off his feet. The sudden change in trajectory knocked all breath from his lungs and prevented him from screaming. The only sound he made was a dry _oomph_. One second later, and the man was directly in front of Alex. The others hadn't noticed yet, but his victim-to-be froze, then started to claw at Alex's barbed tentacle in panicking fits. Alex regarded him, then slammed him hard into the roof to break his body. The man choked once and went limp, but his heart was hammering painfully loud in his chest. The speed turned frantic and his eyes- now no longer hidden by his mask- widened once Alex's tendrils rose from his flesh.

The man tried to scream, to struggle- but his strength failed him before he could even start. His killer grunted, swaying on his feet and grit his teeth when the memories crashed over him like a flood. He saw family, friends, neighbors- a life that wasn't his. But at this point, he had gotten used to it. Had gotten used to the sick feeling that came when he realized he had just robbed another person of _everything_ they ever owned.

They were just means to an end. Just tools to be used. Disguises to be discarded. Faces to be worn. Information to be had.

Twelve detectors. All over Hell's Kitchen and the northern train yard. One was gone by now. One was in his sights. Ten were left.

Alex got up and shifted to his Hammerfists, slamming them together. The resulting shockwave shattered a nearby satellite dish and tore an air conditioner from its hold- drawing Blackwatch's attention.

A grim smile settled on his face. “Let's finish this.”

* * *

 

He found the last pair of detectors on the roof of the convention center. The glass-and-steel complex towered before him like several boxes stacked together. Alex frowned at it, trying to figure out how to tackle it. The wide open area would make it hard to sneak up on Blackwatch here- until now he had been lucky to find enough niches, alleys, parking lots and high roofs that hid him from them. But it had been getting harder each detector. The men had noticed he'd assaulted their teams, and tried to react accordingly with increased violence and caution.

Which meant the guys on the convention center's roof were high-strung and guarded by at least two Apaches. Alex was sticking around near an alleyway to watch, having picked a different face and a different outfit once again.

The direct approach would be possible- but Blackwatch would start shooting as soon they'd see him come at them- and he did notice several missile launchers. The scanners were on the green part of the roof behind the glass construction. One at the southern part, the other on the much larger northern area. No tall buildings either- there was the pier just behind the center, the train yard on its south, and flat constructions on the remaining sides.

Alex paused and glanced at the train yard. Lots of cars, shipping containers...and a bus parking lot just between.

_Oh, why the Hell not?_

Alex easily moved over and hurried into the compound. Nobody noticed him, and nobody noticed either when he slipped between a pair of buses to shift back into himself. An Apache circled overhead. Alex acted. With little more than a mental command, he changed to the Musclemass and quickly crouched down to grab the closest bus and heave it over his head.

This finally got a reaction- the Apache swung around and came closer. Alex coiled his muscles and sprang upwards, bus still held high above his head- then chucked it to the front with all might. The Apache couldn't evade fast enough and was hit, the bus's larger size and momentum effortlessly knocking it back and send it crashing into the parking lot just as Alex hit the floor again. Blackwatch now finally realized that he was present- and started to bark orders. Alex was faster. He grabbed the next bus and started to sprint across the street. He jumped off and against the convention center's smooth facade, then effortlessly headed upwards. The bus he was still carrying barely bothered him on the way, though he didn't have the time to marvel at the impossibilities he seemed to be doing frequently. Instead, he simply threw the bus at the scanner with enough force and speed to break it- crushing a few of the men while at it. One scrambled to his feet and Alex saw the missile launcher in his grasp. _Not on my watch!_

He shifted to the Whipfist and shot the lethal barbed tentacle to the front, slicing the man's head right off. He yanked his arm back and let the clawed tip snatch the missile launcher. He dragged it back and quickly propped it up on his shoulder, then spun and aimed at the other Apache.

The guided Javelin missile took the helicopter down with no problem, leaving Alex with the last scanner and the last men across the roof. They were already prepared to try take him out, so he couldn't bother with neatness anymore. Alex ducked and charged towards them, his arm flaring out to turn into his shield. Bullets and grenades impacted into the hardened mass, snapping off bit for bit, but Alex was simply going _too fast_ for them to actually get through to him.

Like a runaway train, he slammed into the men, shattering their bodies upon impact. The scanner had turned red and was shrieking into his ears, so Alex swung around, shifted to the Hammerfists, and brought them down _hard_. The wailing screech went silent.

 _That's the last of them_.

The remaining troops tried to re-organize themselves, but without the more important scanner, Alex could focus solely on them. His Hammerfists melted back into his claws as he lunged at the first guy and jabbed his talons through his chest to consume him. The explosions have done some damage and he didn't feel like being merciful. Not towards Blackwatch.

And besides, these guys might know some things that could prove useful to him later on; so he rounded on the remaining men to consume them as well. However, even over their screams and the wet smack of his own flesh, he was still aware of the roar of engines. With a grunt, he shoved his latest victim's memories to the edge of his mind and focused, squinting into the darkening sky.

Four Apaches raced towards him.

Alex growled and whipped around, switching back to the Musclemass while he rushed over to the air conditioners. Four choppers were only four choppers- and he knew how he could take them down.

Just that the pilots apparently had learned from their guys' previous encounters. Instead of swooping down, all four of the Apaches kept their distance- and fired Hellfire missiles. Alex's heart stopped for a split second- and then he was already running. Hellfire Anti-tank missiles. Made a big boom, were able to track their target- and would probably blow him sky-high. He decided not to take any chances.

He felt the heat of one at his back already and instantly broke away to the side, rushing along the roof's edge while the missile impacted into the green behind him. The shockwave send him stumbling and he needed a second to right himself.

A second too much.

Another missile hit him dead on. When the fire ate away at his body, he might have screamed. He wasn't sure, not over the roar of superheated air, but he didn't care. Because everything _hurt_.

The impact threw him off the convention center too, and he hit the 12 th  Avenue hard. One car actually ran him over, the others veered aside. Alex groaned and scrambled to his feet, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. His body had already repaired itself, so all that was left were aches.

Then he heard the Apaches again and swore under his breath, was already running across the street when high-density bullets ate through the ground behind him. In his haste he collided with one of the trees lining the middle of the street and knocked it over, the sound of splintering wood almost drowning out the roar of the rotors. But only almost- and he could hear the hiss of another missile coming at him. Alex jumped up in a desperate attempt to get off the street and _away_ , when the shockwave from the explosion grabbed him and threw him into the Hudson River. Icy water engulfed him and dragged him down, swallowing him up with its murky darkness.

Cold. Wet. Dark. _No air_!

Alex noticed too late that he was _sinking_ , he was going down, but was too heavy to swim. He tried to breathe, only to swallow a lung full of water.

_Out_

His body coiled and gave off a burst of energy, shooting him upwards. The surface broke when he lunged right out of the water, sopping wet, but at least _out_. He slammed hard into the ground on his hands and knees. His stomach cramped together and he retched once, choking out the liquid that had gotten into his lungs.

But the Apaches were still there. One fired another volley of high density bullets at him, and Alex ducked behind his shield. His arms were shaking as he heaved himself upright, and his legs weren't as stable as they should be. He glared at the choppers.

He wasn't going to stick around. With a cough, he lunged to the front and dashed back towards the convention building, then headed south to get under the High Line. The Apaches were following after him, but with the street above his head, Alex felt slightly safer. Still, it wasn't nearly enough. His stunt with the Hudson left him queasy and shaking, so he felt he was in no condition to fight. But he could still run.

He darted out from under the High Line once he passed by the bus depot, then tried to zig-zag his way along the blocks. He went in erratic patterns, never went straight for very long in hopes of losing his followers. The Apaches tried to keep behind him, but as he tore around the corner at 24 th , their engines had faded to a comfortable distance.

Alex slid in between the rows of apartment buildings along this street, keeping an eye on the choppers.

And then he noticed _her_ . A woman, dyed red hair, cigarette. She stared at him. More importantly, however, she was _alone_.

“Hey man, you alright?”

Alex snarled in reply and went right for her. His fingers crushed her throat before she could utter a single word, and his tentacles ensnared her body and dragged it in. Alex grunted and shifted into _her_ appearance with no problem. He had become her, he was her now in every sense of the word. The choppers roared over his head, making him flinch. They should see him- but they didn't react. They tried to find him, unaware he was no longer himself- He was her now, Margret Jones, a college student.

And it gave him the option to get away.

Alex slowly made his way back to the street, then easily headed further to the south. The Apaches flew off, trying to locate him. They wouldn't find him.

And they wouldn't find Dana. They were both safe for now.

 

 


	9. The altered World

 

Alex had barely made it a few blocks northwards when the rainstorm set in. The whole time before he had smelled it coming, but there hadn't been more than the distant rumble of thunder.

Now though the clouds could no longer contain their load. When the first drops hit Alex in his Margret disguise, he'd been surprised by how  _cold_ it was.

And that was when the panic set in.  _Cold. Wet. Dark. No Air!_

The feeling from earlier, from the Hudson, returned with a vengeance, and Alex wanted nothing more than just jump to the surface and get out of the water- but of course, he couldn't jump that high. And the rain was everywhere. Fear was clawing in his chest, fear of drowning, of freezing to death...of Blackwatch finding him- and Alex whirled around, looking for a dry place. It wasn't just the rain from above- the streets were soaked already and the water splashed up his legs.

Chelsea Soccer field came up to his right- Alex dashed there without thinking and barreled his way through the chain link fence cutting him off. Two steps later and he found a maintenance door. He slammed through it, leaving it hanging askew in the frame, and was  _inside_ .

Well, below the tribunes, actually, but at least it was dry. The icy panic that had gripped him eased up, and Alex found a corner against a support beam to hunker down. He could keep an eye on the door this way, and wasn't seen himself. His pulse slowed down and his breathing became normal again. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he had just experienced a nearly full-blown panic attack. Why? Because of the rain? Was he fearing  _water_ ?

...Possible. He had nearly drowned just a little while ago, after all. But rain was different to the salty flood of the Hudson. Could be it had been a flash of his past, though. Maybe he'd been hydrophobic? He'd have to ask Dana. Once the rain stopped and he'd be able to get back to her, though.

For now he had no other choice but to wait. Alex huffed out and pulled his hand up to stare at it. Long slim nails in hues of purple stared back. For a moment, he was confused, until he realized he was still in Margret's form. Margret Jones- who had  _never_ hurt him or even knew about him. She had just been a college student from Ohio.

And he had murdered her. Killed her, consumed her, like she wasn't any different from Blackwatch.

Like he wasn't any different from the Infected. That thought instantly darkened his mood and his body erupted into thousand tendrils to twist his appearance back into his own. He didn't want to be reminded that these things were just like him, didn't want to be reminded about what he did- what he  _had_ to do to survive. 

And Margret? She had just been unlucky enough to be at the wrong time in the wrong place. Blackwatch had hunted him with high explosives, had hurt him- so he had needed mass to fix the damage they had done and a disguise they wouldn't suspect. Margret had supplied him with both. And he knew he would do it again, knew that this one woman wasn't going to be the last he'd ever grab. Because this was how it was going to be from now on.

Alex sighed and dropped his head back against the concrete pillar, staring at the under construction above him. The girl would have been dead either way- the Infection was too close by now, and even if he had left her alone, then Blackwatch would have killed her. Because they would have thought she was infected. Just like they would think of Dana. Which was why he had to get back to her, but...Alex glanced at the torrential rainstorm outside and felt sick to the stomach. He wasn't going to brave that. He couldn't brave it.

Kind of ironic, really. He could take tanks and helicopters and infected giant monsters- and a little rain was stopping him dead in his tracks. He sighed in annoyance, and closed his eyes, listening to the rain outside. He didn't have a choice but to stay here and wait until the weather cleared up.

* * *

 

Alex was gone for far longer that Dana would have thought. She had nodded off in-between, and judging by the amount of empty coffee cups stacked around on her desk, she hadn't been really conscious when she was awake either. Her back hurt and her neck was horribly stiff, so she leaned back and stretched, hearing her joints pop and crack back into place. Her computer had gone into sleep mode, so it was probably a good time to get a snack. A glance at the clock told her it was late afternoon- so Alex had been gone for nearly eight hours already. She started to worry. She had heard him taking out the first of those scanners, as he told her, but she had no idea how many more there were- and she didn't dare check up on the outside out of fear that Blackwatch would find her without him around. So she had stayed inside and started to snoop around.

She had found Blackwatch's servers- and as dangerous these guys seemingly were, they  _sucked_ at their virtual defenses. Or, let's say, she was skilled enough to get through. At least into their basic files. She quickly found  _everything_ . Blueprints and basic function of those scanners, files about the men and the Marines- and data about the Infection. Dana blinked and narrowed her eyes. She saw sketches and found a few pictures of the Zombies, and shuddered at their appearance. Melted faces, some of the guys having twisted limbs that resembled chicken wings crossed with knifes, bloodstained clothes. Pictures of Hives, of infected water towers (Dana swore she was going to check up on their water tower before she would shower)- and the large beasts. Hunters, Blackwatch called them. And then she found data about the virus itself.  _Redlight_ , the files said. The virus retrieved in Idaho was called  _Redlight_ . But Alex said it was called  _Black_ light. The names were too similar to be coincidence. So she  _had_ been right- Blackwatch had Gentek work at Blacklight, had it grown from Redlight. What for?

Their theory that it was some sort of weapon began to appear correct. And she worried for Alex even more. Blackwatch was one thing, but the Zombies? The Hunters? She'd seen one video of a Hunter flattening a tank, and fear spiked in her chest. Alex said he could take care of himself, but against something like that?

The radio was suspiciously silent, no mentions of ZEUS or Mercer. Idle chit-chat, orders for back-up, reports about the spread rate of the Infection. They were at five to six percent now. Five to six percent of Manhattan, an estimated of three million people who were in danger. And there was no cure. Alex was certain he'd find one with Karen's help, but Dana wasn't as convinced as he was. She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. She hated this, hated being confined to this apartment, having to wait for Alex to return- if he did at all. But she was aware that out there, she wouldn't have any chance at all.

“Fucking hate this”, she murmured again, feeling her back ache even more. She had no choice, however. All she could do is keep her head down and try to survive what was going to come. And it was going to be a real storm, she knew. It was already escalating in a way she only knew from movies, but this was the fucking reality- and she was along for the ride.

Her brain was racing, but she was so tired and she started to nod off again.

Distantly, she heard something like a door clap, then steps. Groggily, she lifted her head from her crossed arms and blinked owlishly at the exit. The sharp sound of metal on metal woke her a little more and her eyes turned guarded when the door finally swung open. Alex stepped inside the apartment, eyes narrow and glancing around the room suspiciously. He always did that, she had noticed, every time he went somewhere. As if he was trying to figure out whether it was safe. She wondered about it. Alex had been protective of her in the past, but after he went away? Dana didn't know what had happened, but it was possible he had become more paranoid than he'd been before.

His gaze settled on her, and she noticed his shoulders slumping slightly, as if he was relaxing. Did he think she'd run off? She promised she'd stay right here, didn't she?

Or maybe he was afraid Blackwatch would have found her.

Dana cleared her throat when it became apparent that he wouldn't talk to her any time soon. “So...stressful day?”

His expression turned into a frown, so she clarified herself. “I mean, you've been gone for  _hours_ . Couldn't help but think that you maybe got in a bit over your head.”

Alex's face twitched, and he lowered his head so his stupid hood hid his eyes. “I kind of...got myself trapped”, he admitted silently. Dana's pulse jumped up.

“Blackwatch?” She gasped before she could stop herself. He, however, shook his head. “They weren't a problem”, he told her and she felt like something heavy dropped from her shoulders. “And I took care of the scanners, too. You're safe.”

“For the moment”, Dana added with a dark tone.

His eyes snapped to her, narrowing. She could  _feel_ the anger radiating off him. “You are safe”, he repeated more firmly. “If Blackwatch comes again to take you away, I will kill them all. Until they get the message and leave you alone. They won't touch you. Not now, not ever again.”

His determination should have been  _soothing_ , but all Dana felt was  _fear_ . Alex had just told her he was going to murder these guys. Make them dead. Was this him talking- or the Virus that got into him in Penn Station? Was this Blacklight? How much of Alex was still  _Alex_ , and how much was something else?

Dana wasn't sure she  _wanted_ to know. A part of her still hoped that this was a nightmare, that she was going to wake up and find everything okay, not twisted and violent as it was now.

Twisted and violent as he was. There was nothing else to say about this- because he was. But, at the same time, he was protective and caring and  _sweet_ towards her. Like they were children again.

She needed to know, though. “Alex”, she began, and his head snapped to her, like a dog awaiting an order. “How deep is this...infection in you?”

He furrowed his brows, thinking about it. She could read it on his face, thinking whether he should tell her or not. This was different too- usually, it was hard trying to figure out what he thought, but now? He was almost like an open book to her. Eventually, he relented. “Deep”, he just said.

“How deep?” Dana asked, getting up from her chair to walk towards him. Slowly, to prevent him from running. Because fuck, he did look like he was going to run rather than be here.

He seemed to know it too, and his eyes shifted quickly between her and the doorway. But apparently, he decided to stay. They were family. They could trust each other.

“Very”, he just said.

Dana huffed out. Better rip that band-aid off now. “Look, Alex. Whatever it is- it won't be as bad as those Zombies out there, will it?” He made a startled noise and stared at her. “I've seen Blackwatch's files”, she told him. “And the things the virus made. And seriously? Your face doesn't look like a butt or as if you've sat in the sun for too long. And I already know about your super bouncy powers- so how bad can it be?”

“Very”, he said again.

_Like pulling teeth_ , Dana thought frustrated,  _got to drag every word out of him_ . But Alex had never been good with words, and even now she could see the conflict on his face. Though, before she could request him to clarify, he apparently figured out what to tell her next, because he moved his arm.

“Watch”, he said simply as he grabbed a hold of his left wrist. Then he started to _twist_. Dana's eyes went wide when Alex started to crush down on his own arm, she _heard_ his bones grind against each other before the wrist snapped with a muffled _crack_ and a barely noticeable wince from him. He didn't stop there though, yanked his own arm back until the elbow and the forearm snapped as well. Alex paused, brows drawn together- then let go of his own mangled limb and simply shrugged. His bones snapped back into position with a series of cracks- each making Dana wince- and seconds later his arm was good as new. Nothing broken.

“See?” Alex's voice cut through the tense silence like a knife. “I just snapped my arm in at least three major places. It healed back together within _moments_. And it's not just that.” He sighed, dropping his hands by his sides. “I have been shot at with rifles, more than I can count. High-speed, high-density bullets, made to stop a target at the first shot. Me? I took entire magazines and just kept going. Then they send in tanks. I flattened the tanks with my bare hands and powered through depleted uranium shells, healing up almost instantly. Same goes with the helicopters. I am able to take them down, survive anti-tank Hellfire missiles- and always come out on top. Nothing seems to be able to harm me. Nothing stops me. I just keep going.”

Dana's eyebrows were near level with her hairline. “Are you shitting me?” She asked, desperately hoping he was just joking.

He wasn't. His expression was deadpan when he continued. “The first scanner I took out- I destroyed it by flinging my own body like a projectile downwards. I hit a helicopter and a roof from a forty-story-drop  _face first_ , and destroyed four levels of the Kiser Theater while at it. My skull and entire upper body were  _ruined_ , but the next minute I was completely fine again.”

_Oh_

“So that was _you_?” Dana gasped, mentally kicking herself because she had so many other questions- yet this was the first thing that came to mind. She had felt the impact even in her safehouse, the ground had been shaking and she did hear several car alarms go off. She had thought that something had exploded, but apparently, it had been Alex- who decided throwing himself off a building was a valid form of attack.

This, at least, got a little twitch in his lips from it. “Yeah”, he admitted, though he quickly turned serious again. “The point is, I survived smashing myself into a heap of broken bones with no problems. I've seen the Infected- they die immediately when I just touch them. And the Hunters? They are tougher, but even they go down once I put out too much damage. I just keep on going, surviving whatever they throw at me while happily slaughtering my way through their ranks.” Suddenly he snorted, cutting her off before she could even reply. “You wanted to know how deep the virus is in me, right? Asides from making me near indestructible, it changed  _everything_ about me. My bones, my flesh...” His eyes darkened. “Even my clothes.”

He turned his head to the side, grabbed the back of his hood and pulled. It didn't slide off like Dana expected, but rather peeled off like old Velcro tape. Black tendrils connected Alex's hood to the back of his head, actually, and snapped off as he pulled the cloth down. Then, for an uncomfortable moment, part of his skull was just a winding mass of black and red, before it settled into the slightly curly and messed-up hair she knew from him. It was darker than it had been before, though, fitting in with his pale skin and dark rings beneath his eyes.

She almost couldn't believe it when he had the hood off and watched her nervously. There were still some black tendrils crawling along his neck and shoulders, before they flattened and swiftly changed into normal looking skin and clothes.

Or what counted for clothes, anyways. Because he had just casually demonstrated that his clothes were part of him in every sense in the word. It wasn't a cover above his skin, it  _was_ his skin, just in a different form that imitated clothing. Now the note she'd seen on Blacklight made sense.  _Able to imitate any material it wishes, making for a formidable disguise skill._

She sat down abruptly, eyes still glued to the form of her brother.  _How much of him is still Alex? How much is Blacklight?_

The answer was: only very little was still Alex. Just him, apparently. Nothing else. Everything had been taken by the virus, a virus somebody cooked up in Gentek and let it free in Penn Station. Killing everybody inside and turning her brother into  _that_ . He was closer to those Zombies now, more monster than man.

_Right?_

Though- what does it take to make a person? It's not just flesh, isn't it? It's everything- abilities, personality, memories. But the memories had been taken from him, so he wasn't Alex in the way he had been Alex before this. Before Penn Station. But he was more of a brother to her than he'd been in five years. He was the Alex now who grew up with her, but he couldn't know. She understood how he felt; confused, inhuman, desperate for answers- and those that could give them tried to kill him. No wonder he was so angry.

“Holy fuck”, she whispered. Alex sighed and his hood slid back to cover his head in a series of barely audible fleshy sounds.

“Now you see”, he replied. “That is how deep Blacklight is in me. Too deep.” He shook his head. “There is no cure, not for me or any of the Infected out there. The cure Karen is making? It won't heal me. I already know that. But it will stop the Infection from spreading. It will save you.”

“That is why you need McMullen”, Dana noticed. “To figure out how to stop this.”

“To learn who did this to me”, Alex added. “McMullen does know. I just have to get to him. Make him tell me.”

Dana furrowed her brows and slowly turned to her computer. This was crazy. Insane. Her head was swimming and endless questions turned over in themselves. But there was one clear thought: Alex needed help. Needed help with figuring out what was going on, what to do now. And she knew she was going to help him. “McMullen...I think I've seen something of the kind?” She quickly navigated her way through the files, when a news report popped up on the screen.

“ _We have just gotten reports of weapon discharge and high casualties at the Gentek building in mid-town Manhattan. Along the same line, authorities have confirmed that those casualties were caused by the same suspect of the Penn Station incident. What was initially thought to be a chemical spill was actually a biological attack on the city. Authorities have named Dr. Alex Mercer as the chief suspect-”_

“Ah, shut it”, Dana closed the pop-up, glancing at Alex. “Sorry about that- I keep the news running, but right now all I'm getting are they calling you a terrorist.”

Alex frowned, stepping closer, but didn't say a word. Dana huffed out. “Yeah, I don't think you're to blame either. I mean, you died along with everybody else, with the difference that you got up and walked out again. The perfect scapegoat, huh?” She paused. “Wait- if you figure out who is really responsible, then we need to get evidence. Then we can show the world that it wasn't you who caused this whole bullshit. We can clear your name that way!”

Alex snorted, and it sounded almost like a short bark of laughter. “Yeah. Clear my name. For the outbreak maybe- but what about Greene? I set her free, starting the Infection in the first place. Blackwatch? I killed a lot of them, Marines too. And I had witnesses.” He shook his head. “I am not important here and I seriously don't give a shit what people think about me. I just want to stop Greene.”

Dana blinked, then sighed. Didn't look like they were going to come to a conclusion for this problem any time soon. “Okay, so McMullen, then?”

“Is my best lead at the moment.”

“I think I might be able to help you with this. Get you close to him.” She turned back to her screen, and Alex leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at the computer. “The news are showing an endless loop of Blackwatch scientific teams turning up around Hives. Those teams have to be working for McMullen, right?”

“If they are”, Alex noticed, “Then one will know how to get to him.”

There was an icy shudder that ran down Dana's back. She'd seen his eyes in the reflection of her screen, cold and calculating- and hungry. She hadn't seen Alex eat anything, come to think of it, and he did have a kind of Zombie virus in his blood. She hoped she was wrong about this, hoped that he was different from the Zombies out there. Because he had his brains together, right? So he simply couldn't be like the other monsters out there.

She licked her dry lips. “Try to draw McMullen in. He's the key to all of this, right?”

“Yeah” Alex was about to go, when Dana stopped him with a hand on his arm. Leather should be cool to the touch, but his jacket was burning up. On that note however, it was clear why- it was his skin, and he was sick. And sick people had high fever. Only that he didn't seemed to be too bothered by it. She shuddered- at least it wasn't contagious. She hoped.

“Be careful”, she told him. Superpowers or not, she didn't want to see him die. Or worse, locked up like Greene was and slowly wasting away in mind and body, while Blackwatch happily used his sickness to make weapons.

He glanced at her. “Don't worry.”

* * *

 

Dana was smart. Smarter than he gave her credit for. Alex was worried what would happen if she figured out what he was doing out here, what he had to do to survive. Part of him was relieved that she had figured out so much on her own and that she didn't run away when he showed her. He had seen the fear in her eyes, had heard the way her heart sped up, but there had also been understanding in her tone. He had revealed a part of himself, had shown her how far the Infection was within him- and she still wanted to remain at his side.

She trusted him, and Alex understood that there was nothing in the world that he wouldn't do for her. He was going to stop this Infection, stop Greene, stop Blackwatch- to make her safe. And he was going to start with the head of the snake: McMullen. The man who had done  _this_ to him. The man who made him kill people. The man who had taken his past. Alex was going to find him, and he was going to find the truth.

Which was why he was in Little Italy now. He had sensed fresh Hives there, and he knew from his previous victims that Blackwatch was interested in their development process. Newly formed Hives would give them information- and him a target.

He spied a little group of Blackwatch soldiers just in the process of heading inside the Infected Zone. Civilians stood huddled together at the sidewalks and watched nervously, but none of them had the idea to get back into their own homes.

Alex frowned and turned his attention back to Blackwatch. The men were moving about, waving their hands. Not noticing him, too busy keeping the spreading infection around them under observation. He still ducked a bit lower and watched them as he trailed after them, thinking about how to approach them. The direct way was not suitable here. He wanted to draw McMullen out, but if he had reason to believe that it wasn't secure, then he wouldn't show himself. He was too precious for Blackwatch to lose, so Alex could not show his face around here. However, it also meant he would not be able to consume the Blackwatch soldiers down there without care- he had to restrain himself and only pick off the guy in charge and get his radio while at it. After that, he would be able to figure out what to do next.

How thoughtful of Blackwatch to color-code their guys, however. There was one, black and white, in the middle of the troop. How was he supposed to get close enough to consume him, though? Scatter them?

Would work, maybe.

Alex looked around for inspiration when he noticed another parking lot just to the side of the group. He hurried across the roof there and switched to his Whipfist. He aimed at one of the cars and shot his weapon out, slicing the metallic nails across the side of the car with enough force to make it bounce back with a loud crack. He pulled back and ducked again, carefully peeking over the roof edge at the soldiers. They had stopped, and had all snapped around to look into the direction of the parking lot.

“Miller, Detwiller- check it out”, the commander ordered. Two men hurried over, but it wasn't _enough_. Alex hissed and quickly rushed over to circle around the street and get on the buildings on the other side as fast and unseen as he could. Once in position, he repeated his previous action, slammed his Whipfist into the building there to create more noise. Blackwatch was getting nervous, obviously, and some more men started to split off and check up on the source.

_Stubborn idiots!_ He grumbled under his breath, checked up on where they were looking, before he repeated his action once more, again somewhat further down the street. The Infection was thicker here, and he could smell the virus underneath the street and inside the people. Not much longer, and this would be another hot zone with dozens of Hives. The carrion feeders had already arrived, cawing loudly as they circled over the roofs.

This deep in the Red Zone, the men were alarmed. Another group split off, leaving the commander  _finally_ with only a small amount of soldiers. Alex moved instantly. He lunged across the roof and hit the floor running, heading away and around the block while shifting into one of the Blackwatch disguises he had. If a group gathered together, nobody was going to notice if there was one additional guy. At least, not immediately. Alex did not have a rifle or a radio like the others, and it might become suspicious too fast- so he had to act. He slid behind the commander before any of the others turned around- and seized the man's neck. He crushed down the man's throat and spine, then swiftly stepped into  _his_ shape, taking his form easily and fast enough so nobody realized what was going on. Alex gasped, muscles twitching, yearning to grab his temple in an attempt to ward off the splitting headache- but he fought that urge down ruthlessly.

“ _The outbreak seems to be centered around these areas. The focus, as we've seen, are those buildings.”_

“ _Secure all marked areas for possible insertion of Director McMullen for direct study. He won't touch down until all sniffers read nominal, and make sure none are destroyed.”_

“ _Engagement protocols?”_

“ _Anything it takes to clear the ground. When it's all-clear, sound off.”_

Got you. McMullen was going to come here- better than he would have thought. Because it meant he didn't have to chase after him, not when he was presenting himself so openly.

Alex grunted and pulled himself upright, watching how the late Derrick Kaufman's men crowded back towards him.

“Nothing, sir!”

“Keep your damn eyes open”, he growled at them in Kaufman's voice. “Make sure nothing gets near the scanners, got it?”

“Sir, yes sir!”

The Dumb thing was that  _nothing_ meant him as well. The detectors would react to his presence just as they would to the Infected he could sense stir. Alex didn't have much time- soon they were going to wake up and spill into the streets. But McMullen wasn't going to come any closer as long the detectors signaled danger. They needed to shut up- though he could not destroy them. It would be too obvious and tell McMullen that he was waiting.

The Good thing was that Alex now knew how to deal with the detectors without taking them out of the equation completely. He just needed to get Blackwatch off his ass before they would notice anything strange. Well, they  _were_ in a Red Zone.

He stopped before they got into range of the first scanner. “Search the perimeters. We don't want any of those fuckers to get to us.”

“Sir- the orders were-”

“I know my fucking orders!” He barked. “But in case you haven't noticed, we're inside a Red Zone. So move your asses and fry those bastards!” The men scattered, fanning out to secure the area. Alex snorted and quickly headed over to one of the scanners. It beeped once and turned yellow, though he knew that if he acted fast, nobody was going to take the warning serious. These things weren't as precise as they should have been, so viral alerts from random particles were common. It was only when the alert proceeded for longer than half a minute that they knew something was going on. Half a minute that would make all the difference.

Alex approached the scanner and flipped the side-panel open, revealing a keypad beneath. With practiced ease, he hacked in the code Kaufman had to shut the scanner down, putting it back to green alert. He stepped back just in time for one of the others to pass by, brows furrowed beneath his mask.

“Huh? Sniffer shows green?”

Alex cocked his head. “Yeah, so? Just means that there isn't anything trying to eat our asses at the moment. Doesn't mean you can sit on yours and twiddle your fucking thumbs. Get back to work!”

“Sir!”

_Gullible idiots._

He turned around and continued to the next scanner, keeping just out of range to prevent it going off while he had to deal with the guy standing next to it. He couldn't have any witnesses to his hacking, or else his plan was going to fail. He took a step closer, just enough so the scanner turned yellow and took the man's attention. “Check this out”, he snapped, jerking his head to where a crow was sitting on a low roof. “We can't have any of those fuckers sneak up on us!”

The soldier glanced at him, then back to the scanner. “Yes, sir!” He hurried off and Alex quickly closed in on the scanner to switch it back into the green alert.

The next one was across the block, and Alex followed a tank that headed there. Closing in on the scanner range once more, he yelled at the men there to tell the driver to move the tank away, because he had run over some Infected and that messed with the detector. While the guys were busy talking to the vehicle's operator, Alex swiftly shut down the unit.

A grin appeared on his face as he headed for the last one. This was completely different to what he usually did- this wasn't raining havoc down on Blackwatch, or tearing an entire street worth of Infected to pieces- but it was endlessly more thrilling. He was walking amongst them, the wolf between the sheep- and nobody noticed him. Nobody realized that he was there, that he was working against them in front of their faces. Nobody was going to realize right up until he got to McMullen to tear the information from him.

Hopefully, the Hive would play along...Alex glanced at the infected building just to the side with a worried look. He could sense it, smell it- it was nearly ready to burst open and spill its corrupted insides across the Red Zone. It just had to keep quiet a little longer, just enough for him to shut down the last scanner so McMullen would move his ass here.

So he was working on a time limit here. It made his blood boil and his body writhe in anticipation- it was a glorious feeling, the chaos, the hunt, the kill. It startled him somewhat, knowing that he craved disasters like that, but at the same time, it felt so familiar and so good, he couldn't help himself from being downright  _giddy_ about the idea. He really hoped that once he had his memories back, he'd be calmer, because this kind of mindset wouldn't be helpful if he was going to try to hide from Blackwatch once he had Greene taken out of the equation.

Right now, however, he felt more powerful than ever, and it was addictive.

Just one more scanner, and then he would have the answers he had been looking for. The guard there was easily distracted, the alert easily cut off once Alex got his hands on the keypad, and the entire area seemed safe. The Blackwatch soldiers around slowly pulled back to gather in tight groups around the flat open expanse that served as their landing pad, ready to protect McMullen from the Infected. Alex almost laughed, because the biggest threat to McMullen was right among them. It wouldn't need much more than a simple touch, a quick twist of the man's neck- and all his secrets would be bare in front of him.

“Sir?” One of Kaufman's men asked him as he stalked closer to the landing area. “Are you sure it's safe now?”

“The sniffers don't detect anything”, Alex replied easily, “So that fucking Hive isn't going to wake up too soon.” Lies, he knew. The Infection was throbbing inside his head, yearning to break free. Not much longer now, not much longer and they would be neck-deep in the Infected.

But Alex didn't care for Blackwatch. These men here had made their decision, so they had to deal with the consequences. He tapped the radio at his shoulder. “Site's clear, sir”, he claimed, “What is your E.T.A?”

The answer was a static screech.  _“Okay people”_ , one of the pilots replied,  _“We're clean across the board. McMullen inbound.”_

Alex's grin widened beneath his mask as he carefully moved into position. Soon enough, he could hear the roar of engines and he watched how a Blackhawk and two Apaches came closer, peeling out of the murky green sky that heralded the upcoming dusk. With a little luck, he'd have his answers before it would get dark.

The gunships hovered to the side, allowing the Blackhawk to stop above the ground and slowly descend. Alex made his way over to it, since it had been Kaufman's job to receive the Director. A job that was now Alex's- and he was certain to put a little  _twist_ to it.

He approached the helicopter, watching McMullen's expression on the co-pilot's seat as the whole thing was hovering maybe seven feet off the ground, when his back went ramrod straight.

The Hive was waking up.

All of the cysts on its surface exploded outwards, bringing forth several Infected that dropped to the floor gracelessly and staggered upright. More swarmed from the inside if the buildings, snarling and growling. The soldiers swung around and started shooting, but Alex could only stare at McMullen's face. He saw his eyes flit to the scanners- that still showed green and didn't react to the Infected now flooding the area- then to him. He saw the eyebrows lower and the eyes narrow. He  _knew_ . McMullen was  _aware_ it was him. He  _knew_ it was Alex wearing a dead man's face.

The Blackhawk jerked and pulled up, cutting off Alex's gaze from McMullen. He was frozen, knowing perfectly well his chance had just been blown. McMullen was leaving his reach, and without a way to get him out of that helicopter  _alive_ , he knew he wasn't going to get to him. And McMullen wasn't going to be tricked like this a second time. Now he would keep his head down, and Blackwatch would hide him.

Would take away his chance to learn of his past.

Alex snapped. “Son of a  _bitch_ !” He roared. His body bristled and instantly twisted his appearance back into his own, making most of the Blackwatch goons around jump back startled. They knew too- and they swung around to target him as the closest of the Infected. Alex didn't care. His  _only_ chance to get McMullen, to get the memories he was craving for so desperately-  _gone_ ! 

His body was writhing, tentacles thrashing out from his deepest core to his surface, lashing through the air as his arms twisted into his giant talons. He heard a shout of warning- and the roar of Hunters. He whirled, eyes narrowing dangerously on three of the beasts that just burst from the Hive and lunged at Blackwatch. The Apaches swooped down, peppering the ground and the Infected with bullets.

Alex added his own enraged roar into the hellish noise.

His body exploded.

Dozens- no,  _hundreds_ of steel-like tentacles shot out from his center into every direction like spears, being entirely too fast and too powerful for  _anything_ to react in time. The Hunters were impaled in several places, their life snuffed out within moments. Men and Infected were shredded to pieces, shorn to bits before they even realized the danger they were in. The viral scanner and the equipment scattered nearby were reduced to rubble within the blink of an eye. The two Apaches overhead, having been too close to the ground, couldn't escape either. The lances burrowed through them and destroyed whatever was in their way. 

For a few moments, the tendrils drifted softly through the air, as if time had stopped. Then, like a rubber band, all of them snapped back at once. Alex's body rose from the crouch he'd been in, his skin settling back into its normal appearance as he looked around and took in the devastation he had released. Nothing was in one piece, even the street and every building in reach had been damaged, with giant holes torn into their surfaces.

Fiery hot rage surged through Alex's body, and his eyes locked on the Blackhawk carrying McMullen. He lunged after it, speeding up in hopes of catching up to it.

He knew it was going to be futile- he wasn't anywhere fast enough to actually do so, but his anger had to be let out. He wouldn't accept his loss. He was going to chase after them to make them understand that he was not easily shaken off. He wanted to let them know that they were only still alive because they got lucky.

But their luck was going to run out. Sooner or later, he was going to get to McMullen, no matter how many men he was going to kill to do so. And then he was going to know the truth.

 


	10. Errand Boy

 

Alex had chased after McMullen's helicopter for a long time until they managed to lose him near the UN building, by heading across a military base. A tank shell to the face snapped him out of the enraged haze he'd been in, and put his priorities straight.

With a hiss, he lunged at the tank that had shot him down and flattened it with his Hammerfists, before he grabbed its remains, shifted to the Musclemass, and threw it at the next tank to take it out of the equation as well. Someone to the side made a grab for his radio. Alex grabbed him instead and slammed his tentacles into his body. Between the Hellfire missiles from the morning, the continued weapon fire now and the Devastator he used before, he was feeling hungry again. Screw that- he was feeling  _famished_ . He pounced on another guy and tore him to shreds too, whirled around and let his Whipfist lash out to slice into the closest group. More Marines kept coming at him, Alex snarled and shifted to his claws, then dove at them to turn them into bloody ribbons. His surface was thrashing, tendrils grabbing and tearing at the closest bits of flesh. Still alive, still warm, even if there wasn't always much of a body to it. No matter, mass was mass. It healed him, gave him strength.

Somebody shot a missile launcher at him. Alex growled and reformed his ruined body within the blink of an eye and went for the guy that had tried to kill him. He consumed him, then three more guys until he heard somebody yell for a Strike Team. That was when he finally gave up and aborted the whole thing. In one powerful leap, he jumped right across the steel-and-barbed-wire fence and hit the street running. He headed back to Midtown Manhattan, back into the Infected Zones and faded out of sight there. The energy was off in those areas anyways, and with the darkness of the night around them, even the high-energy spotlights of the Apaches that chased after him had no chance to find him. Not when there were entirely too many alleys, billboards and overhanging buildings that hid him.

He had found a series of balconies and had hunkered down in the lowest, waiting for the helicopters to stop looking for him. He still had Kaufman's radio, and heard the men on the other side cut off their search. Alex exhaled and leaned back, closing his eyes when the memories of the men he killed finally flooded through him. His muscles twitched slightly when their last moments settled. He knew their panic, their fear, their disgust...the things they knew. The things they experienced. He knew of Taggart, the guy leading the Marines under orders from Blackwatch. He knew of Randall, the heavy-set, one-armed Blackwatch General. He knew of friends and allies who already died- at his own hands or those of the Infected. He knew that Redlight was scared of water (so one mystery solved, then). He knew that Greene was endlessly precious to Blackwatch. He knew of Blackwatch from the Marine's point of view. He knew of their weapons and soldiers. That man, with the scar? They said he was there to catch him.

_Unlikely_

How could a single man achieve what hundreds hadn't managed?

Alex shook his head and hopped off from his perch as soon he was certain it was secure. His body was still feeling...empty, so to speak. He knew he'd have to consume to stave this feeling off, though he was aware that it wasn't going to go away. He had always felt hungry, even after he crushed Dana's couch under his weight, just that it hadn't been so urgent and could easily be ignored.

But for now, he was going to find some of the Infected. Maybe he'd even get a Hunter.

* * *

 

Alex had returned to Dana around midnight. The damage accumulated over the day had been long distance memory by then, so he was a lot calmer than he'd been before. He found Dana collapsed at her desk, cheek mushed into the keyboard of her computer and asleep.

He blinked in confusion. This position wasn't anywhere  _comfortable_ or relaxing, and she was going to wake up with horrible pains in her back. She must have been incredibly tired if she fell asleep like that. Alex huffed out and walked over to her, then carefully gathered her up so he wouldn't wake her. She didn't stir much, though she made some small noise and curled up before settling again. Alex proceeded with putting her to bed and tuck her in, then left her so she could sleep it off. Feeling no desire to get back outside, he poked around the apartment for the first time in serious contemplation. Who had Dana's friend been who owned this place? How long were they gone? 

He looked at his bounty poster, frowning at his own expression. Was he really just the scapegoat as Dana believed? Blacklight, the virus that had changed him, wasn't natural. It had been made by Gentek- and he had worked at Gentek too, could also afford an huge apartment at Eastside. He had been paid well. What for?

He dug his finger into the mass beneath his hood, the garment slipping off his head automatically to allow him to run his fingers through his hair. This wasn't time to make assumptions- Think, he needed to think. None of the men he had attacked had known anything. McMullen would- but he escaped (and it made him angry thinking about it). What other ways were there to figure out his past?

He paused, eyes catching sight of a stack of paper hidden under Dana's desk. Alex pulled the paper out and placed it on the wooden surface next to the computer. What did he have? He didn't have the information he wanted...but he had  _other_ data.

He grabbed a pen and scribbled one name on the first page.

_James Goodwin_ .

The first man he consumed. Alex paused for a second, then added 'First Lieutenant, Blackwatch', to it. He wrote Perri's name next, and connected both with a line that said 'command chain'. This was the most obvious connection, so Alex leaned back and let both of their memories replay in front of his eyes. This time, he paid attention to the people both knew, and the rumors both have heard. He was looking for anything that connected the two of them. Places, jobs...and especially  _people_ . Chen was there, MacMarshall too. Randall and McMullen appeared several times, as well as a series of scientists and other figures. Alex wrote all of them down- names, titles, professions, connections to those he already had inside of him. His grid quickly spread out over other sheets, so he was eventually forced to relocate to the floor to have more room.

“You want a piece of wallpaper to write on?” The voice startled him, and he more or less flew to his feet, whirling in place to face whatever threat had snuck up on him. His claws were formed in an instant, metal edges gleaming in the low light of the room. He caught sight of a pair of wide blue eyes and cursed himself for his jumpiness. There was no threat here, not to him. _He_ was the only threat to _her_ , though.

“Fuck”, he ground out, dropping his lethal talons to his sides. No use pulling them back, she had already seen them.

Dana's reaction was a little more refined, if just as strained as he felt. “So, um...guess I can cross 'sneak up on my dumb older brother' from my list. Not very keen on losing some body parts.” She eyed his claws with a mixture of awe and terror. Tense silence settled over them, threatening to crush down, when Dana's voice piped up. “Those are...another effect of the virus, yes?”

The silence snapped and Alex inhaled deeply, slumping his shoulders. “Yeah”, he replied. “They are.”

Dana was watching him closely, when she stepped closer. “May I?”

“What- _careful_!” He hissed in realization. He shifted in an attempt to escape, but Dana had cut him off from his escape route and he didn't want to shove her away out of fear of hurting her. So he simply froze while she carefully let her fingers slide over the spiky black armor that constituted his arms.

“Wow”, she muttered, “Your hands are larger than my head at the moment. You could cause some real damage with those, huh?”

“I already did”, Alex more or less blurted out before he could stop himself. Dana blinked at him. “Blackwatch”, he replied. “Marines. The Infected. I can rend them to ribbons with little more than a thought.” He exhaled. “Can even rip a Hunter's head right off.”

“Wow. So my brother has super strength, super bouncy powers, movie amnesia and can turn into fucking sharp things.” She stepped back, glancing at him. “Is that about it?”

Alex furrowed his brows. He wasn't keen on telling her about his...dietary habits. “That's about it”, he mentioned with a deadpan voice. He wasn't going to tell her. Not here, not now. Instead, he shifted his claws back into his normal arms, watching her surprised face all the while. Dana kept his gaze, daring him to say more. He wouldn't.

She crossed her arms and huffed out. “You don't want to talk then. Okay, I get it.” She pointed at Alex's foot. “Mind telling me what this is about?”

Alex followed her outstretched finger to the mess of paper on the floor. He grimaced a little. It was thrown around from his earlier motion, but most still lied face-up. It was a chaos of tangled lines, words, names. Some ticked off, some circled or crossed out.

“I'm trying to figure out what is going on”, he told her. “I can't remember much of myself- but I can remember every word I heard _perfectly_. I can figure out who talked to whom, who might know something, who can get me close.” He crouched down and picked up the paper. “I started with the guys who tried to take you away and worked from there. Names, dates, faces. All people I still need to find to figure all of this out.”

Dana smiled a little. “So it's your personal Web of Intrigue, huh?” She chuckled, then became serious. “Some names are ticked off.”

Alex hesitated for a split second. “Yes. Those are...those I already questioned. The others...I still have to interrogate.”

She furrowed her brows. “Need my help with it?”

He didn't. She would want to know what he did with them once he found them, but he couldn't tell her. “I can find them on my own. If you want to help...look at Carnival I and II. And find out what they did in Hope. But be careful. I don't want Blackwatch to find you.”

“But you will protect me.”

“Yes. That is not the issue, however. I don't want them anywhere near you, Dana. So please, be careful.” He didn't want her to see him murder these men. She didn't deserve this.

“Got it. Don't worry, I'm going to hide my track.”

He nodded, then cocked his head as he changed the topic. “Why are you awake? I just took you to bed?”

“Uh, no. You've been pretty focused on your scribble work, so I guess you haven't noticed how time passed.” Dana shrugged a shoulder into the direction of the microwave. “It nearly nine in the morning. I wanted breakfast.”

“Nine?!” Alex jumped. “Holy- _Karen_!” Over yesterday, he had completely forgotten about her. The Red Zones were spreading, and soon, they would reach her hideout.

“Right. The cure.” Dana inclined her head. “Think she'll be ready?”

“I don't think so, but I need to look after her”, Alex admitted, “She could be in danger, and I need her.”

Dana sighed and patted his shoulder. “Then go get to her before something happens.” She made a shooing gesture. “Go.”

“I'll be back soon.” Alex was out of the door and on the roof in the time it would have taken a normal person to move through a room.

* * *

 

He kicked off the ground, lunged across the street to hit the opposite building and head along its facade upwards. His recent attack on Blackwatch and the Marines in Turtle Bay had drawn their attention away, so he didn't see any as he moved to the North. He avoided going across the Westside or the Eastside, however, and opted to head through the Central Park instead. The trees offered adequate cover, and with the Infection already spread on either side of the park, there weren't many people left. Alex spied several Infected, and a single Hunter in the distance, but neither noticed him as he chased past. The great lake in the middle he avoided, went past it in a wide curve.

The grass and soft ground didn't crack as satisfactory as the streets and buildings did, and didn't allow him to speed up as much as he liked. The trees were a pain in the ass too, forcing him to swerve to the side more often, or else he would knock them down. And a line of broken trees was anything but inconspicuous. However, the lack of noise and cover also gave Alex the chance to move unseen- and a Red Zone like the one that spread across Eastside was a warrant for Blackwatch to suddenly pop up and screw him over. Alex had no intentions to lead them to Karen's hideout, which was why he shifted his appearance shortly before leaving Central Park. He had taken the form of one of his victims. Who didn't matter, he simply grabbed one form at random and slapped some civilian clothes from their memories on it. He easily slipped into the apartment complex unseen, ignoring the people's terrified yells and whispers about the red stuff that covered most of the area and the sky as well. He couldn't hear anybody following him either, and that calmed him down somewhat. However...his nose scrunched up at the scent of... _something_ in the air. Bleach?

The stairway looked like somebody had cleaned it lately...though he was certain that any maintenance workers were more likely to have booked out of the place instead of cleaning it. Or he had seriously underestimated the people's stupidity. He had seen it in the so-called Blue Zones, those under military control, or those free of the Infection: no matter what was going on, the people were Hell-bent on continuing on their lives as if nothing was wrong at all. He scoffed and shifted back into himself once he had reached the top of the stairs, stopping in front of Karen's door. His nose twitched.  _More bleach!_

He paused in mid-knock, puzzling about it, until he decided to ask Karen about it. He rapped his knuckles against the door, listening to hurried steps on the other side.

“Alex?” Karen's eyes were wide when she more or less ripped the door open. She was a mess, Alex noticed, her clothes were rumpled, her hair stuck away in weird angles and she had dark rings under her eyes. She was barely holding it together. Was she worried? Worried about him?

“Sorry it took so long”, he managed to grind out. “But yesterday had been confusing. Blackwatch tried to find Dana and I had to stop them.”

He was listening for any kind of reply, heard her heart race in her chest. She was scared of him, he knew, and he felt sorry for it.

“It's...it's okay”, she exhaled, and the tension was leaving her frame, at least a little. “Honestly, I figured you've forgotten about me. Or maybe you thought to give me space.” She turned and headed back into the apartment, but left the door open so he could follow her.

“Why does the building smell of bleach?” Alex asked curiously. Karen's back went ramrod straight, only for a second, before she turned back to face him with a forced smile. “I don't know about the rest of the building but here...I spilled my coffee. Figures the only cleaning agent around here was bleach, so I had to make do.”

Alex frowned, feeling that she didn't tell him the truth- but he  _needed_ her. He glanced to the side. “I have to move you”, he told her silently. “Redlight's grown too much. You aren't safe here anymore.”

“I know”, she replied with a sigh. “But...we can do this. I promise. We can fix you.”

“The cure?” Alex inhaled deeply. “It won't help me anymore, you know. It's too deep. And the others? They are dead already. No way back.” He took notice of her startled expression, so he quickly added “But maybe it can stop the spread.”

Her heart sped up again. “The cure...yes.” Suddenly, she looked guilty. Alex wondered why. She cleared her throat. “I did...my best. But...” She brushed her hair out of her face and inhaled sharply. “The samples you've recovered- I still don't have enough.”

He relaxed, though didn't know why. “So? What am I supposed to do?”

Her voice had become more steady. “I need you to go  _inside_ a Hive.” She furrowed her brows and checked up on her computer. “There's one, just at 5 th Avenue and East 101 st , I think.” She sighed. “The substance is at the center, the undiluted matter the virus is producing. I think it is the key.” She paused, glancing at her computer screen for a second before locking gaze with him again. “If we can learn from the original strain, if we figure out the infection process, then I think I can reverse the effect of the virus.”

Sounded like a plan. Alex nodded and headed to a nearby cabinet to pick up some specimen bottles. “I'll be back soon.” He didn't want to intrude any more than he had to, something felt fundamentally  _wrong_ , so he was going to be quick about it. Maybe once he returned he'd be able to talk her into changing her location. He'd even steal another tank to get her to safety.

“Alex?” His name stopped him, and he turned back to her. She sat there at her desk, eyes concerned, but downcast. She was...pitying him? “For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to play out like this.” Her voice was silent, dead almost.

He glanced at her, feeling his tendrils squirm beneath his skin. He wasn't human anymore, he was inhuman like the others, and it disgusted her. He could see it. “Don't be sorry”, he gruffly requested. Maybe a bit too roughly, because he saw the tremor going through her body. “Just cure this thing.”

He walked out of the apartment, hearing her pulse change in intensity as he went. She was disgusted with the infection that took him. She was scared of him. She was only helping him because she was afraid. Because she feared what he had become. “Damnit!” He snarled, slamming his fist into the wall besides his head, burying it to the wrist. Karen had every right to be scared. He  _was_ a monster, one that killed without hesitation. He had been a fool to believe he'd had a chance at getting his old life back, his old life with her at his side.

Once she had found a way to stop the Infection, he had to let her go, to leave her. It would be safer for her anyways. Dana too, once everything was under control, he would have to leave her as well, for her own safety. Blackwatch was going to hunt him, and neither Dana nor Karen were every going to be able to live without having to look over their shoulders as long they remained with him.

With a snarl, he shook his head. He couldn't afford losing focus here. He had to get those samples first to stop this entire Infection. Then he could figure out what to do.

He swung himself across the statue of the Duke at the round-about and headed back to the rooftops. Large parts of the Eastside were affected already, and he could sense it continue its way, feeding on whoever got into its way. He heard the crows caw, and saw several of them circle around the water towers incubating Hunters. As long he was carrying the specimen bottles, he wasn't going to fight them, though. Too large the risk of them breaking.

5 th Avenue and 101 st ...Alex's eyes narrowed on the massive complex in front of him. The Mount Sinai hospital. Now a giant sprawling Hive.

“That isn't good...”, he growled under his breath. Hospitals were full of people, sick people- and with their lacking immune system the virus had easy hosts. He didn't think for one moment that the Infected this produced would be immobile and bound to their beds. Redlight was good in making its hosts stronger and tougher- he should know. On his treks through the Red Zones, he'd seen the resulting creatures. Not Hunters, but not the simple Infected anymore. Walkers, Blackwatch called them. They were stronger, able to move nearly on par with a Hunter and able to chase even him across several roofs. All of them had basic claws and blade-like limbs, and also had more muscles; some were bloated to the point his claws weren't long enough to slice through. While tougher than Infected, they still broke easy enough and supplied him with a little more mass than humans did.

But this Hive was quite new, and the Infection not in its latest stage yet. He would have little problem getting in an out, though maybe he would get to slaughter some Infected on the way.

Alex found a hole in the roof just above the very middle of the Hive easily enough. Curiously, there were spotlights installed there, and Blackwatch equipment was strewn about. Because of the stench of the Infection, he couldn't tell whether there were some soldiers nearby, but that question barely bothered him. He just had to get those samples and bring them back to Karen for evaluation.

He dropped through the opening and hit the ground hard, instantly realizing that everything was wrong. He hadn't dropped into the last story just beneath the roof- he had went all the way to the ground level. The Infection had eaten its way through the entire hospital, had torn down any wall and floor in-between to form a giant opening. He found steel, twisted and broken at his feet, scattered remains of medical equipments as well as slabs of concrete all around. He noticed that the only thing keeping this building standing was the material of the Hive itself. Remarkable, and any other time interesting. But right now he was running a little low on time. The Hive had finished settling in and was currently mutating its victims into carriers. And they were waking up.

The massive cysts along the walls were writhing, churning out the virus in its purest form. He made a bee-line for the closest mound and started with the tedious and quite honestly  _disgusting_ work to get the wanted samples.

He was so immersed into his work, that he didn't notice the sound of the helicopter pulling away, or the sharp hiss of a grappling line.

“Mercer, you're a hard man to find!”

His day went right to shit.

* * *

 

Captain Robert Cross was the one everyone went to when things were stuck in the shit. Randall was no exception. He had brought him in when it became apparent that the situation was no longer able to be contained.

To his surprise, however, it wasn't his job to curb in the Infection- it was his job to take down a Runner. He'd been briefed on the thing, and found himself to be baffled at the sheer amount of brute strength it had. No other Runner in the history of Blackwatch ever had been able to pick up and casually throw around  _tanks._ And, another thing struck him as odd: it was male. Runners usually were female, like the bitch he'd taken down in Two Bluff in the back end of Arizona.

The deeper he worked himself into the matter, the more confused he became. Mercer was its name, and it had been a doctor at Gentek- working for Blackwatch. Cross had no idea what the fuck a civilian company had to do with Blackwatch, or why they had been the first ones to get the bodies, but he could sense that there was more.

More pressing was the problem with Mercer- after the man died, the virus resurrected the body and escaped into the city, like they usually did.

But then? Nothing. Two days long, no infection, no trace of the strain other than what looked like shed skin. Instead, Mercer had appeared right in the thick of Blackwatch's operations, killed several of their men and managed to avoid them after that. This wasn't Runner behavior. The abilities it had- the shape-shifting on cellular level, the claws, the ability to literally eat a man's brain for information- weren't Runner abilities. Mercer was something different. It wasn't a Runner. It was something else. Something...more sinister.

This suspicion had started to grow only stronger the more he learnt about Mercer- ZEUS, as they called him now. McMullen only seemed to confirm it, as he kept repeating that this Runner was unlike any they had until now. It wasn't behaving like a normal Infected, not even a Runner like that Greene bitch- it faced them over and over and over again, disrupted their operations. It re-located Mercer's sister, it contacted Mercer's old lover- nothing a Runner would have done. And it didn't spread. Whatever it was carrying, the strain did not spread. Cross had learnt of its first release in Penn Station, five thousand people dead within  _three minutes_ . In a city like Manhattan, the infection should have wiped out everybody within half an hour. 

But it just... _didn't_ .

The virus was there, however. He'd seen the videos. The clips. He talked to survivors. The virus was there, but it was centered inside Mercer. There was no spread, no apparent danger from this thing unless it had its sight on you. In Cross's opinion, the Infection that took over the island was more important- and it was in  _no_ way connected to what Mercer had. Greene was the more pressing target, yet Randall demanded him to stop Mercer.

Orders were orders- and he had noticed the urgency in the General's voice.

Didn't mean he liked it, though. Something was  _off_ about this whole deal. Mercer wasn't an ordinary Runner. He had tried to tell it to his general, had tried to voice that in his opinion and backed by facts, Mercer wasn't the threat they made it to be. But Randall was too stubborn, couldn't see the facts in front of him.

To Cross, it was hard to digest. He couldn't believe that this Runner was anything like they told him, but he also wouldn't let his own personal feelings get the better of him. Not again. Hesitating had cost his team in Springfield. So he was going to capture ZEUS, make sure it got put down, no matter what he thought about it.

It rubbed him the wrong way that they were employing the thing itself trying to take it down. One mistake and all their plans would fail.

But despite everything...it had  _worked_ .

In fact, the plan they had worked out included Mercer's old lover, Karen Parker.

Cross didn't like including civilians. Too many loose ends, too many unknowns. But McMullen had said it was the best shot they had. The idea to bleach the hallway and the apartment had been McMullen's too- he had assumed that ZEUS had heightened senses, would be able to smell them unless they were able to cover their tracks.

Randall had been beyond surprised to see the plan actually work. Mercer hadn't suspected  _anything_ , had supplied them with everything they needed to develop a weapon against it, hadn't even questioned its orders. It had walked right into the trap they had prepared, like a dog that had been told to wait there. And it hadn't even noticed them watch it.

But Cross knew better than to underestimate this thing. He'd seen the videos of it tear its way through a whole, heavily armed platoon. One man against this? His chances didn't look so good, and even though he had his Wisemen Team with him, they were a total of thirteen guys. On the other hand, most of Blackwatch did not have what he had- experience with Runners. He had taken down one already by himself- a feat he was damn proud of- so he shouldn't have too much problems with another one?

Plus...this thing did not fight like Runners usually did. Runners always hung back and let their drones do the job, while Mercer always went into the battle by itself. And it relied on its superior speed, strength and weapons to deal with threats. They were vastly inferior to it, but as long it remained alone, they would be able to wear it down.

Cross turned to his team. “You have your orders”, he growled at them. “Follow them.”

“Sir, yes Sir!”

The Wisemen. Twelve of the most skilled fuckers the captain hand-picked by himself. Most of them had been with him for more than a decade already, had been with him ever since he crawled out of that Hell hole of Springfield. They were fiercly loyal and followed his every order, no matter the price. Every single of them was more worth than twenty normal Blackwatch soldiers or fifty Marines. He had no doubts that without him, all of them would be commanders of their own squads.

“I go down first”, Cross told them, “As soon I give the signal, Alpha Team joins me. Keep that thing in your sight, don't let it catch you- but most of all, keep it on its toes.”

“Sir”

He fastened his grappling hook to the ledge and mentally checked his battle strategy. He felt the syringe in his pocket, frown on his face. The weapon those eggheads created against ZEUS. McMullen said it was supposed to disrupt its abilities, make it defenseless. Cross didn't trust in their science. Genetic engineering- fucked things only up more. He also didn't get why they wanted this bastard  _alive_ . In his opinion, it was a lot better if they killed that thing and burned it until nothing but ashes remained. But he had his orders.

With a grunt, he jumped through the hole, leaving his fate only in the thin heavy-duty cable attached to his belt. As he descended, he watched Mercer. The thing was bent over one of the cysts, methodically ripping away diseased flesh to get to the core of the thing. For a split moment, it looked just like another man, another scientist that tried to figure the Infection out.

But Cross knew better than to get distracted. This thing had easily killed more than a hundred of Blackwatch and Marines, ripped through hordes of Infected like it was nothing and had taken out tanks and helicopters.

It hadn't noticed him yet, and Cross probably should just shoot this fucker down before it got its bearings- but he was never good at this kind of stuff. He felt it deep within his heart that this Runner wasn't as much monster as the others made it to be. Alone the fact it went out on its way to pluck Doctor Mercer's sister from their grasp didn't fit with an Infected. It fit more with...a  _man_ . A scared man, who just wanted to be secure.

And, along with the bit of knowledge they'd gathered from McMullen, it  _did not know_ this. It was unaware of its true nature, unaware of its endlessly lethal potential. It  _believed_ it was a man. It believed itself to be the victim in all of this, trapped by Blackwatch and the Infection, looking for a way out. A trapped rat unaware it was something far more dangerous. Cross did not want to be the one to tap into that potential by accident. No, he had to leave it in the belief and take it out before it found out.

If it thought it was human, it was going to fight as one. And it was Cross's order to bring it in.

“Mercer”, he barked out, grabbing its attention. “You're a hard man to find!”

ZEUS whipped around, eyes wide as the captain lowered himself to the ground. The thing didn't attack, just stared at him in a sort of shock, fist balled at its side, but it had taken a step back as he casually freed himself from the cable. At this point, Infected would have already jumped. ZEUS did not. In fact, it was swaying on its feet, eyes widening, then narrowing, then widening again as it tried to compute the situation. No doubt trying to figure out what was going on- and where the rest of Blackwatch was. The captain snorted and drew his stun baton from his side, flicking the switch to let the static charge crackle along its tip.

“I've been looking forward to this”, he challenged, hoping this thing would finally get off its ass and attack him, so he'd get a little fighting.

It didn't. Instead, it pulled back even more if possible, eyes fixed on the stun baton before it found his. Its lips curled up and it bared its teeth, and there were static ripples of red and black along its arms. It still didn't attack, though, instead it  _spoke_ . “Who are you?” It barked, “Who sent you?!”

Cross scoffed, dragging the sparking tip of his baton across the ground before he shut it off.  _Stop acting like a damn human, ZEUS, we both know you aren't._ “You should pick your friends more carefully, Mercer”, he pointed out. 

ZEUS's eyes widened almost comically, before its head snapped up to the hole in the roof for a short moment. When it turned its attention back to Cross, its expression was positively  _livid_ . “You being here”, it ground out with no small amount of  _rage_ , “Means Karen Parker sold me out.”

Then the claws rippled into existence. With a fierce snarl, it lunged right at Cross.  _Ah. There it is_ . The captain, though taken back by its sheer  _speed_ , still managed to roll over his shoulder and avoid the brutal first blow. ZEUS- the weapon ZEUS- soared over his head in a wide swing, and Cross acted quickly. Using his rifle, he put several rounds of high-density armor piercing rounds into the thing as it hit the ground and tore trenches with its feet. It must have noticed the bullets, but didn't react otherwise. Instead, it whirled around and came back at Cross with its claws fanned to the sides. Cross braced himself and brought his stun baton to the front, hitting the thing right in the middle of its chest. It worked well enough, its entire body clenched and jerked together as the charge ran through it, though the momentum it had used in its attack still lingered on and shoved Cross several feet across the uneven ground until it tapered off. The Specialist lifted his foot and kicked out with all his strength, stumbling slightly, but still managed to get Mercer to topple backwards in an ungainly tangle of limbs.

Cross shook his baton with a frown, forced to wait until the self-charging battery inside had gotten back the juice. This was the first time the thing had been drained  _at all_ . Normal Infected, even Hunters, stayed down after the first five seconds of being tasered. ZEUS, however, had taken the whole thirty seconds- the air was stale with the stench of burnt flesh- but it was still  _lucid_ . It hissed and scrabbled against the ground, forcing its body to stop shaking as it attempted to get up. Cross wisely brought some distance between them.

He still heard the low growl echo through his chest when ZEUS finally got back to its feet, eyes narrow. Cross spun to face it and found it in the process of lunging at him again, so he flipped his baton up as a silent warning.

ZEUS stopped dead in its tracks, eyes fixed to the baton. Then it stepped back, snarling at Cross like a rabid animal. The Specialist waved the rod, and the thing took another step back. So he  _had_ installed at least  _some_ fear into this thing.

But then, ZEUS surprised him. It dove to the side, giant talons melting away and turning into some sort of gray-skinned heavily muscled  _human_ arms, and started to run in a circle. Cross instantly aimed his wrist-mounted grenade launcher at it. He had four shots before he had to reload, but he was certain he'd get the shots right. The first shot missed, however. He had aimed to the front of ZEUS, anticipating it to run right into the projectile, when the thing stopped suddenly, and slid to its knees.

The next moment it had yanked out a car-sized slab of concrete and hefted it over its head. Cross's only appropriate reaction was “Fuck”

He lunged to the side just in time to avoid the massive projectile, when it crashed hard into the ground where he had been a moment before. He'd get hit by this, and he'd be paste in an instant. Mercer was aware of it, though, and it was already in the process of diving for the next slab. Cross didn't let it. In the very moment it had heaved up another piece of concrete, he had aimed his grenade launcher at it and had shot it. Two times, right into the chest. The high explosive, specially-made grenades just for the captain, threw the thing back, the slab of concrete slamming into the floor. However, just like the stun baton before, the grenades didn't do anything to  _keep it down_ \- and the massive gaping hole in its chest was gone three seconds later.

Worse even, the continued explosions and noise woke the Hive. Cross's head snapped to the side, eyes narrow as the cysts around him started to writhe and burst. “Looks like your friends want to come out and play”, he mocked the Runner as he rushed to the side and shot his grappling hook out to retreat to a safe position. The Walkers and Infected that emerged from the Hive held no obvious interest in him, though a few curious ones he gunned down effortlessly. Most of them stormed Mercer, taking its attention.

And that was when Cross witnessed what he'd previously only seen on videos in real-life. ZEUS's paws turned back into those huge-ass claws he'd seen before, and it started to tear into the Infected hordes with little trouble. A group of Walkers to the side were speared by massive spikes it pulled out from the ground, a bunch of Infected was torn clearly apart by a suddenly thirty-foot long whip-like claw. Cross aimed his last grenade at the closest group of Infected and blew them sky-high, always keeping Mercer in his line of vision.

He hadn't been wrong when he assumed that this thing wasn't anywhere near the Infected Greene created. It seemed to hate the Infected just as much as it did Blackwatch, maybe even more- if the total dismemberment it subjected its victims to were any indication.

But right now, it seemed as if it was trying to escape him. Cross held no illusion that it would- its behavior was far too deviant from normal Infected behavior and far too close to  _human_ behavior that it was clear it would try to escape at the first possible moment. And his job was to  _capture_ it, so he couldn't let it get away from him.

He shot the thing, drawing its attention once again as he jumped off his perch to face it. “You are a restless bundle of energy, are you?” He asked it, watching its metal claws grind against each other. “Any minute now you'll be burning out.”

His head snapped upwards. “Alpha Team!” He barked, “On me!” ZEUS whirled around, eyes wide at the sight of six of his Wisemen dropping from the ceiling while Cross finished reloading his grenade launcher. The five men and one woman were ready, their faces hidden behind their combat gear, but Cross knew every single of them were staring grimly and ready for whatever was coming.

ZEUS didn't dally long. It leapt into the air high, then suddenly changed trajectory with a burst of air. The Wisemen scattered, letting the attack miss. ZEUS wasn't deterred. In one smooth motion, it spun around, its whip-claw shooting out dangerously. Jackson and Norton, his two heavy hitters, just barely managed to flop to the ground to avoid it. Hist used the chance to shoot the thing right into the face at point-blank range with a shotgun.

Infected and Walkers would die instantly. Hunters would thrash before slowly succumbing to it. ZEUS's body shivered- and its claw shot out, grabbing the female Blackwatch agent at her throat. Most of its fucking  _head_ was gone, and it was still  _moving_ !

This was not a normal Infected, for Fuck's sake!

Cross lunged to the front, jabbing his stun baton into the thing's throat. Blackwatch soldiers were trained to throw their lives away at the command of their superior, but he had seen enough of his teammates die in Springfield. For eleven years, he had done his darnedest to keep them  _alive._ There was a wheeze, like air being forced out of Mercer's lungs, as the thing staggered back, releasing Hist in the same motion. Then it suddenly jerked to the front and it simply  _punched the floor_ . The shockwave was powerful enough to throw all of them off their feet and knock all air from their lungs. If it had been deliberate and not out of instinct, the shockwave would have killed them all. 

Its face and damaged skull easily grew back in a series of wet smacks and hollow  _cracks_ as its jaw set back into place. Cross saw its eyes roll back into its head for a moment as it ran its tongue over its white teeth, before its skin and hood came back into existence, completing its appearance.

ZEUS was less than happy.

It instantly jumped back and slammed one claw into the ground. Cross felt the tremor beneath their feet and ordered his team to scatter, just barely avoiding the giant ground spikes that burst from the ruined floor the next moment. Cross swung around and fired his grenade launcher at the thing, four times in rapid fashion, before it had gotten the chance to pull those spikes back. Mercer was thrown off its feet, but it was upright and standing again entirely  _too fast_ .

It moved, swerving to the side and running along the perimeters, circling the Wisemen. Before the unit managed to regroup, it suddenly veered off its course, one arm flattening into a massive shield, as it barreled right into them. Masters was hit with the force of a small car and flung aside like a rag doll. He hit the floor in a heap and didn't move anymore. Norton whirled, but ZEUS stopped roughly and slammed its shield to the side, smashing it into the man. He  _splattered_ .

“Fuck!” Jackson fired his grenade launcher at the thing, forcing it to duck behind its shield to protect itself- but it left itself wide open for Hist to chuck a grenade at it. The effect was...neglectable. It charged Hist next, talons grabbing a hold of her. It leapt off the floor the next second to land against the wall, and dug its tentacles into her chest to consume her body before any of the others had a chance to do something. ZEUS froze for a moment- and started moving again. 

Hist's rifle was clenched tightly in its talons. Jackson was dead before they even realized what was going on.

The remaining three men dove for cover in that instant. Cross swore under his breath and changed tactics. He grabbed a grenade and launched it at the mounds of the Hive to blow it up. Woken by the blast and the noise of battle, the Infected flooded into the field once more.

This was seriously  _not_ how this was supposed to go, damnit! Did Randall know what he send him into? This thing was no normal Infected. It was a lot tougher, stronger, smarter. Fuck, he had tried to tell him! Four of his Wisemen were dead now, had died within less than two minutes, because his superiors neglected giving him a full report. He was not going to lose more.

The captain grabbed Hoffman's arm. “Get out of here!” He hissed at him. “Now!”

“Sir, what about Bravo Team?”

“This fucker feeds on people. It heals itself. Get! Out! I need fucking air support here!”

“Sir!” Hoffman and Estoban instantly grabbed their grappling hooks and hurriedly left the Hive, while Mercer was slaughtering the Infected and Walkers. The rifle it had used was lost quickly, though it hardly slowed it down.

Then it came back at Cross. The Specialist dove to the side, avoiding the lethal talons that whistled over his head, while jabbing his stun baton at the Runner. It backed off, snarling, then rushed to the other side of the Hive and grabbed a Walker. Cross had a split second to realize the situation, then swearing ran to the side as the Infected came flying into his direction. It missed, naturally, and splattered against the ground. Next, a slab of concrete hit the wall where his head had been just a second earlier, and the concrete shards dug into his Kevlar vest and bit into his neck and back of his head. He just had to refrain from wearing a helmet, had he?

He slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle and fired several rounds into the thing's legs. Mercer stumbled and slowed down somewhat, so Cross instantly followed up with another grenade to its face.

The ground buckled and broke with a loud crack as ZEUS lunged at him again. Cross instantly jumped to the front and rolled over his shoulder to avoid the blow, hissing. As paradoxical as it sounded, without his team his chances were a lot better actually. Without anyone to look after, he could focus entirely on keeping alive. He dove towards Jackson's body and grabbed his missile launcher. ZEUS snarled and went for him again. Cross groaned. “Sorry, Ty”, he muttered, “But I always told you to look out for the infected fuckers.” He shoved the corpse hard and brought it between himself and the Runner, so the thing had to deal with the sudden obstacle first.

A corpse was just a corpse though, and it didn't stop ZEUS for long. Blood and organs splattered all around it as it easily tore the corpse to bits, and Cross thought what this would look like for the other Jackson on Bravo Team. With his free hand, he jabbed his stun baton into Mercer's chest once again, forcing it to back off to get some needed distance.

While the thing forced its twitching muscles back under control, Cross managed to prop up the missile launcher. He had one shot, not a single more. He had to make it count.

With a loud hiss, the Javelin shot to the front and slammed hard into ZEUS's body. The explosion shook the entire Hive and deafened the Specialist for a split moment. ZEUS was gone, swallowed up by a ball of fire, and Cross nearly relaxed.

But like a fucking ghost, ZEUS's form rose to its full height, damaged body parts healing back up as it dragged itself out of the inferno. Black tentacles writhed across its shape, twisting damaged limbs back into their original form. Cross exhaled with a groan. He knew he wasn't exactly the  _youngest_ anymore, with most of Blackwatch being a decade or two younger than him- but he had always been in peak condition. Now, however, he felt his age- and this Runner just  _kept going_ .

The captain swung his stun baton into a ready position, and the tip lit up. Mercer flinched, eyes instantly snapping to the taser weapon. Its claws shrieked as they scraped against each other- and then he saw a flash in its eyes. Understanding?

It surged to the front, Cross jerked back and brought his baton up to taser its face. Suddenly, its talons snapped up and closed around the rod. He saw its expression twist painfully as it pressed down, metal claws grinding as its hold shifted-

_Metal claws_

Cross's eyes widened in shock. Mercer just kept pushing forwards, and the stench of burnt flesh became nearly unbearable. Then, two of its claws crossed, closing the circuit.

The stun baton roared loudly as its energy was fed back into its system- shorting it out with an ear-splitting  _crack_ . The hot metal burned into his hand, even through his gloves, forcing him to let got with a pained hiss. ZEUS flung the baton back, and it clattered on the ground somewhere  _away_ from them. Cross instantly grabbed his pistol and emptied most of its magazine into the Runner's face, blinding it. Mercer swayed back, swearing and thrashing, but sadly, thrashing  _too close_ to the captain. Its wrist only  _brushed_ him, but it still had enough power to knock all breath from his lungs  _and_ took out at least three ribs. Cross hit the ground hard, gasping in pain.

“Fuck”, he ground out, struggling to his feet as Mercer calmed down and regrew its eyes. “Pulling out.”

Screw this, a captain should be aware when the situation was fucked or not- and this was a pretty massive fuck. Cross groaned and fired his grappling hook, to get out of this Hive. He needed a new plan anyways. Mercer just stood there, watching as he clicked the wire in place. It looked...curious, for the lack of a better word. Cross had no time to wonder about this, and let himself be pulled up.

The ground cracked and ZEUS was suddenly  _there_ , its size and mass blotting out his escape route for a split second until it took a firm hold of him, human hands clamped down on his shoulders painfully and steel-like. The steel cable groaned from the sudden increase in weight. The Specialist's breathing hitched, Hist's demise clear in mind. He twisted, cursing his sore ribs, and managed to grasp his knife to jab it deep into ZEUS's throat. The Runner hissed, loosing his hold a little- and Cross kicked it off him with all strength. The thing dropped back into the Hive, while the captain managed to drag himself out of the hole.

“Sir!” Estoban and Hoffman were there to grab and help him up in an instant, and he spied Team Bravo looking stunned. And shocked, probably- his Wisemen were the best soldiers Blackwatch had to offer, after all; yet ZEUS effortlessly murdered four of them, shrugging off any damage they had done. No wonder they were shaken.

“Fucking Hell”, the captain bit out, “This mission's a failure.” God damn Randall, he hadn't given him every information. How the Hell was he supposed to fight a thing that didn't follow the same rules as the other Infected did? Even Hunters died when their face was blown off!

McMullen was right, this Runner wasn't anywhere like the other Runners, wasn't anywhere like Greene or that bitch from Arizona. It was-

_Human_ in its behavior.

Cross's eyes widened. This thing wasn't an Infected like the others- it  _believed it was human_ . He had recognized it before, but he still had treated it like any other Runner. Mercer wasn't like them- it had tried to get away and carry out its revenge on Parker for betraying it; but he had stopped it, had attacked it. ZEUS hadn't fought him because it was an Infected and he was crossing into its territory, it had fought him and his team because it  _defended_ itself. But back then, it hadn't consumed him. It could have done so, he realized- yet it  _hadn't_ . Because it thought it was human. Because it wanted him to  _talk_ .

What had McMullen said? The restoration of its memories was painful. It was looking for memories. But what memories? What was it looking for?

_Penn Station_

Mercer died there. Mercer got infected there. ZEUS was trying to find out what had happened. What had went down in Penn Station.

“Take cover”, he snapped at his remaining team.

“Sir? You need medical-”

“I know!” He barked, “But I still got one shot. Don't fucking blow it, no matter what might happen!”

Something cracked, and he recognized it as ZEUS jumping off again. His eyes narrowed. “Hurry!”

The Wisemen were loyal, to a fault. They backed off and Cross dragged himself a bit further away from the hole.

Just in time for ZEUS to make its appearance on the roof. Its pale eyes flicked over to the Wisemen at the opposite end of the roof and it snarled at them. The team wisely did not lift their guns, signaling they were no threat to it. Not now, anyhow. Cross still didn't take any chances. Panting in pain from his side, he drew his handgun and shot at the thing, taking its attention. Mercer spun around, eyes fierce as it drew closer. It kept its gaze pinned on his face, though he saw it flicker to his grenade launcher ever so often. It knew he was down on his last leg, but it wasn't so careless to assault him outright.

Cross was sitting on the ground, glaring at it. “You think you've won, Mercer?” He snapped, seeing its back stiffen and its shoulders tense. “You don't even know what fucking game you're playing!” He pulled the syringe free from its holster, glad to find it unbroken. He kept it behind his body and out of sight as ZEUS drew closer, its arms rippling. But it was curious, he could see it on its face. It wanted to know more.

He had it here. Cross pulled his lips down into a frown. “Well, I can tell you all you need to know. About  _Penn Station_ .”

The effect was instantaneous. ZEUS gasped and stumbled back, then fucking dropped to its knees, eyes squeezed shut. It was clawing at the side of its hood, choking with half-strangled sobs in attempts to  _breathe_ . Whatever it was going through, it was unaware to its surroundings. Surprised, Cross pulled himself to his feet and slowly circled it. It was in pain, its body trembled with the strain of trying to keep it together.

“In a way...”, he muttered, clenching the syringe harder, “I feel sorry for you.” Tricked, used, assaulted at every possible moment- believing itself to be the victim in all of this, believing it was _human_ , just wanting to _know_ what had happened...But it didn't deserve his mercy. It had killed enough people already. So what if it thought they wronged it? It was a threat, and Blackwatch had only one way to deal with threats.

They burned them.

He jabbed the syringe down like a knife. The titan needle sank deep into ZEUS's back, scraping past its shoulder blade, and Cross pushed the contents deep into its core. The Runner gasped loudly and tried to squirm away, seconds before red ripples ran over its back and it collapsed to the ground, whining like a kicked dog.

Cross exhaled and turned away, tapping his radio. “ZEUS is down. Bring the containment device.”

There was another gasp, and the sound of a body dragging across the roof. The captain paused and turned back, eyes narrowing on the empty space the Runner had been on just a moment ago. He walked to the edge, finding ZEUS crouched on the ground, half-heartedly shielding itself from the hailstorm of bullets from the reinforcements there. Then it suddenly lurched to the front and started running, fleeing the area. They wouldn't be able to get it now. The mission was a failure.

The Specialist arched an eyebrow and tapped his radio again. “Forget the containment device”, he growled. “Your stuff didn't work. ZEUS just escaped.”

 


	11. Confessions

 

“Mercer, you're a hard man to find!” The voice was loud, booming, demanding attention- the voice of a military commander. Alex had whirled around, eyes wide as he watched the man lower himself from the hole in the ceiling. He took a step back, trying to process the situation. He _knew_ the man. Knew him from the memories of his victims.

He was Blackwatch...but why was he here now?

Alex's eyes flicked up to the hole in the ceiling, expecting more Blackwatch soldiers to come down. But the man was all alone.

He stood to face him, retrieving a retractable rod from a holster against his thigh- and flicked a switch. A bright blue orb of crackling electricity came to life. His gaze was glued to the tip, and a shudder ran down his back.

“I've been looking forward to this”, the soldier claimed. Challenging him to a fight.

Alex's body bristled, and he ducked slightly to glare at the man. “Who are you?” He demanded to know. “Who sent you?” He wouldn't need the man to answer, though. He already recognized him.

“ _Sir, is it true he caught the last Runner all on his own?”_

“ _Not caught. Killed.”_

Captain Robert Cross. The Specialist. The one Blackwatch looked to when shit went down. Leader of the most skilled group of Blackwatch, the Wisemen. Even the Marines knew and respected the name. But  _why_ \-  _why_ was he  _here_ ? How did he know-?

“You should pick your friends more carefully, Mercer.”

Friends. Friends?

Alex's mind snapped to clarity.  _Karen! That_ was why she was so nervous! This was why she had always been so anxious when he was around! And that was why Blackwatch was here.

“You being here”, Alex snarled, feeling his rage boil beneath his skin. “Means Karen Parker sold me out.” _Why? Why did you do this?_ He just wanted her to _help_ him, wanted her to save the city; he would have protected her, made sure she would be safe- and she threw it all away to work for _Blackwatch_?!

His arms twisted into his claws when his rage took over. He was going to get this bastard off his back first, then he was going to go to Karen. Nobody played him. Nobody betrayed him.

Nobody.

He jumped at the soldier, intent to tear him to pieces for his part in the betrayal. Blackwatch was sorely mistaken to think that a  _simple man_ would be able to stop him.

He missed his target, much to his surprise, sailing right over the man's head. He felt the bite of several bullets lodging themselves into his body, so he stopped and swung around, ready to go at the guy once more. The captain was facing him again, holding this baton to the front. A little sparking weapon wasn't going to do shit to him. He pounced again, ready to murder the ever-loving fuck out of that guy.

He...wasn't entirely sure what happened then.

Alex felt the rod making contact with his chest, he felt the heat from the charge- but all of it paled when the current went through his body. He felt as if he was on fire, every cell of his being was in sheer  _agony_ . His muscles cramped together painfully, and he felt his heart race inside his chest, ready to burst any given moment.

The captain shoved him back and Alex dropped to the ground; gasping, choking, trying to get his limbs under control. He gave the idea of simply throwing up some serious thought, though decided against it. His claws dug through the ruined floor, trying to find  _some_ purchase while his muscles slowly unclenched. Taking great gulps of air, he forced himself back upright.

The captain...the captain was still there. Alex turned into his direction, growling enraged. The man was facing him, though he had gotten some distance between them. No problem, Alex could cross this even without actually moving- all he needed was his Whipfist-

The captain lifted his night stick, waving it around. Alex froze, then stepped back. Oh Hell no! He was not going to run into this thing again. Once had been more than enough.

There were  _other_ ways to take out an opponent, though. Alex spun on his heel and dashed to the side, rushing in a circle while he shifted to the Musclemass. The captain followed him with his body, aiming his arm-mounted weapon at him, but Alex never intended getting into his blind spot. But running like that he might be able to confuse the guy about his intentions. He stopped abruptly and went down, evading an explosive projectile (so the weapon was a grenade launcher? Handy, he'd definitely had to get one of these), grabbing and yanking a slab of concrete out of the floor.

Watching the captain's expression turn into one of slight panic was a treat, though Alex did not relish in it when he chucked his projectile to the front. The soldier managed to avoid- just barely- though Alex wasn't deterred. He went for the next slab and heaved it up, intending to throw as many as necessary to grind that bastard into paste- when two powerful explosions tore through his chest and sent him staggering back. He gasped once in pain, then grit his teeth to ground himself. The injury was gone the next moment.

A tremor ran through the ground, giving both of them pause. Right. In his anger he had completely forgotten where they've been. They had been inside an  _Hive_ . And this Hive didn't take kindly to intruders blowing each other up inside of it.

Alex's body bristled, and his attention snapped away from the Specialist. Infected. And lots of them.

“Looks like your friends want to come out and play”, the soldier mocked, before he ran asides and used his grappling hook to get away. Alex couldn't worry about him for now- the affected rushed him. Most of them were normal Infected, but there were some Walkers amongst them, too.

He easily switched back to the claws and started tearing into the approaching foes. None of them had any chance, and their hot blood splattering all over him only added more fire to the rage burning inside him. He jabbed his claws into the ground to grow his Groundspikes and tear through a group of Walkers to the side, then before even getting up he shifted his free arm into his Whipfist and took out another group of Infected. Within moments, he had killed nearly all of them, while the soldier put a grenade right into a small group to blow them all up. Alex's eyes flicked up to the hole in the roof. With this guy here trying to stop him, then it wasn't too far off to think that Blackwatch was already securing Karen. He'd better get there and stop them, kill all of them.

Bullets bit into his flesh, forcing him to abandon his endeavor. He wouldn't get his revenge as long this bastard was still there. Alex snarled and turned his attention on the man, who casually jumped off his perch. “You are a restless bundle of energy, are you?” He taunted him. “Any minute now you'll be burning out. Alpha Team! On me!”

_Oh shit_

Alex stepped back, staring at six Blackwatch soldiers lowering themselves from the ceiling to stand around their captain. All of them ready to take him on. They were armed with far heavier weapons than their leader had. Weapons that could hurt even him.

But...groups were far easier to handle than single fighters.

Alex kicked off the ground and jumped high into the air, then altered his trajectory with an Air Dash. He shot back to the ground with one foot outstretched- a technique that worked well with troops- though this team scattered and dodged to the side so he missed his mark. It didn't bother him too much, though, he simply spun in place and sliced his claws into the direction of two of those men. Both managed to evade surprisingly-

And then his world blinked out of existence.

Everything above his shoulders  _hurt_ , and he couldn't see anymore. For a startled moment, Alex remained frozen. What had happened? What was going on? He couldn't  _see or hear_ anymore- and when he tried to turn his head, speak-  _anything-_ he realized that pretty much everything of the front part of his skull was  _gone_ .

But he was still there, still  _thinking_ , even without much left of a brain to speak of- and he was still aware of what was going on around him. It was crazy, insane- he had just lost the most vital part of his body, yet even this did not stop him  _at all_ . He picked up the trace of the one who shot him- and simply made a grab for them. He felt the soft throat of them crunch beneath his claw, sensed the startled intake of air, relished in the feeling of blood thrumming beneath his armor and his hunger started to rear its ugly head.

Before he could go through, however, his body exploded in pain as the electric baton came back at him and forced him to let go of his prey. Alex felt his body sway, before another surge of rage rushed through him. He was aware of his fists hitting the concrete floor and the Blackwatch soldiers were  _gone_ from his nearest vicinity. 

Screw this, he needed his fucking  _head_ .

Alex snarled, and within moments the sense of feeling returned to his upper body regions. Then he could finally  _see_ again- and went directly for these fucks. He attempted to skewer them with his Groundspikes, when the captain swung around and shot him with his grenade launcher four times. Alex hissed in pain, and instantly changed his course. He build up speed and momentum before he went back at them. His Shield was formed in an instant, and his body exploded forwards. He hit one of the men, the force of his impact crushing his bones and internal organs. He was most likely dead, so Alex stopped abruptly and bashed his shield to the side to utterly splatter the next guy.

The warm blood that rained down on him tugged at a very primal part of him. His hunger was back, roaring inside his skull at him. It waned slightly when his instincts shrieked a warning at him. He ducked behind his shield, which swallowed a blow from a grenade launcher. Another, normal grenade, blew up next to him, forcing him to regrow parts of his legs. His hunger returned, and he swung around, charging at the closest guy. He grabbed him and rocketed off the floor with his prey, slamming his claws into the wall to anchor himself there while his tentacles ended the soldier's life. For a second, he was frozen, as he experienced  _her_ memories. Amanda Hist, one of the few female Blackwatch soldiers- and the one that took off his head previously. He watched in surprise how she destroyed his face and cranium with a shotgun blast. So that had been her...

He shook his head and twisted his head around to glare at the others. His body was still aching, but it was a little more tolerable. He grabbed Amanda's rifle and pushed off the wall, shooting it at the closest of the Wisemen. Jackson, her memories told him. The other two he already killed had been with her and captain Cross for quite a while. She had tried to take revenge for their deaths- just it didn't end the way she wanted.

The remaining three were smarter, taking cover as soon they noticed his new ranged weapon. Then the captain destroyed a part of the Hive, luring out the remaining Infected. Alex's hunger howled out again, and this time he didn't fight it. He went straight for the affected and started tearing into them. He grabbed and consumed them at random, just attempting to sate the hunger burning beneath his skin.

The others he slaughtered, before he went back to the captain. The others were gone by now, but they didn't interest him, the Specialist did. He tried to tear into him, but the man swiftly jabbed him with the baton once more, reminding him just  _why_ he shouldn't try to stay in close combat with the man.

With a gasp and a hiss he pulled back, quickly returning to his old technique of simply ditching stuff at the soldier. He grabbed a massively bloated Walker first, then another slab of concrete. The captain shot him into his legs, forcing him to slow down, then he got another grenade to the face. Losing sight was getting old really fast.

Once it returned, he found the captain scrabbling near Jackson's body, grabbing the missile launcher. Alex immediately went for him, only to find himself surprised by the man throwing the corpse of his own subordinate right into his face, forcing him to shred it to pieces. He also caught the stun baton into the chest again. Alex groaned and backed off, his body clenched together and otherwise unresponsive to any of his commands. This fucking taser...he'd have to find a way to get this away from the Specialist.

He heard the faint click of a trigger, and managed to look up- just in time for the Javelin to roar towards him.

“Ah. Shit.”

The explosion was deafening, but only hurt for a split second until his nerves had burnt out. His surface was damaged, but the extreme dense matter beneath swallowed most of the impact, then as soon the white-hot flare of the explosion was gone, he shifted mass back to the outside to reform his normal appearance. He stepped out of the inferno, eyes settled on the Specialist, who had a look of defeat on his face. A low growl echoed from Alex's throat as he prepared to assault the man again. The captain however quickly lifted his night stick and let the charge crackle along its tip again.

He'd have to find a way to take this thing out. He had noticed that it had to recharge after giving off all of its energy after thirty seconds- however thirty seconds was more than enough to sent him back on his ass, so charging the man and endure the discharge was not an option. But what did he know about electrical sources of energy? A current always went the way of the least resistance, usually trying to ground itself. In a taser? It grounds itself through the body of the target.

His claws clicked together, giving him pause.

His claws...they were made of metal. Or, to be more precise, they were made of organic mass that contained enough iron to  _appear_ metal. The sharp edges were more like knifes than claws actually.

And metal  _conducted_ electricity.

He remembered being a child, playing with a pair of pliers (it wasn't  _him_ , though, just one of the voices inside his head). He had fooled around with them, until the lure of a wall socket became too large. It hadn't harmed him, but the socket...shorted out.

Alex lunged at the captain. Predictably, he brought his stun baton up to defend himself, though he quickly made a grab for it. His massive talons closed around the sparking tip, the flesh of his palms sizzled and cooked, but because of the pseudo armor there it was harder for the current to get through into his system. It still hurt, though.

It didn't stop him, however. He pressed forward, forced his fingers to move until two claws actually lay flat atop each other. The resulting crackle of the electricity as the device shorted out was loud, the flash extremely bright- and satisfying. The captain stared in shock, and Alex easily yanked the damaged weapon from his hand to throw it over his shoulder.

Sadly, the Specialist was too experienced to let this stop him. In the moment Alex tried to advance on him, he had his handgun drawn and fired several times into his face, targeting his eyes. Alex stumbled back, swearing. He'd have to do something to prevent this sort of shit from happening, for now he was content waving his free claw through the air to fend off whatever was coming at him, while the other was changed back into a normal hand and pressed into his face to protect his flesh while it was healing. He felt the impact, and heard bones crack, when his wrist more or less brushed against the captain's chest.

“Fuck!” The man inhaled with a rattling noise. “Pulling out.”

Alex shook his head, then turned his attention back to the man, who was in the process of clicking his grappling wire to his belt. He tried to escape. Not that he was going to get  _far_ , but something kept Alex back from getting an easy meal. 

This guy, this  _human_ \- he had fought back. He didn't die as fast as the others have done, and had kept him on his toes. Quite...remarkable. Alex had to admit that the man had actually been a challenge, something that haden't happened before. Clever, fast, and Hell-bent on taking him down, even though a single slap to his chest had ended it. Alex could appreciate this in others. He had fought him despite being utterly inferior to him.

The captain attempted to retreat in this very moment. Alex had heard him yell for reinforcements before, so he was not going to waste this chance at getting information out of him. He easily leapt after him and snatched his shoulders and the cable. Predictably, he noticed the captain panicking. Not predictable was that he pulled a knife and slammed it into Alex's throat. Shocked, he let go slightly, only for the man to kick him and send him tumbling back down.

With a grunt, he slammed into the ground, then slowly got up and glared up to where the man scrambled out of the hole. He yanked the knife out and threw it to the side. His expression darkened. He had just wanted to ask that guy, then leave him alone out of respect. But now it looked like he was going to consume him and get what he wanted the easy way.

He catapulted himself off the floor and shot right through the tiny hole in the ceiling, hitting the roof hard. His eyes found the Blackwatch soldiers of Bravo Team easily enough and he bared his teeth at them. It would be easiest to kill them, but from what he knew about them, they would probably take too much of his time and force him to abandon the captain once the reinforcements came in. The bullets that bit into his back only confirmed his decision. He turned to face Cross, and slowly approached him. He needed to figure out how to do this- the captain's grenade launcher was still attached to his wrist and he must have had time to reload- and he didn't doubt the guy would shoot at the first sign of something being wrong. But without the stun baton, Alex could probably use his Whipfist to grab him.

“You think you've won, Mercer?” The Specialist snapped. Alex saw no fear in his eyes, only seething disgust. “You don't even know what fucking game you're playing!”

Oh, but Alex would know pretty soon. Amanda had no idea, just that her captain had been tasked with the mission to capture ZEUS. Cross would know more. Alex readied himself to jump at the captain, when he saw the man's expression change.

“Well, I can tell you all you need to know. About Penn Station.”

A flash of light twitched through Alex's skull, followed by the sharp sensation of a white-hot rod that was driven right into his brain. He was aware he collapsed to the ground, but everything  _hurt_ and it didn't stop and only grew worse. Images raced through his brain, nauseating fast, too fractured to make sense, but he couldn't grasp them, couldn't look at them, couldn't  _remember_ . He should remember, he had to know- because he  _knew_ that Penn Station was where he  _died_ . But he didn't know  _how_ he died. He heard the distance shatter of glass, wasn't sure where it came from; he heard voices, he saw faces- but none of them mattered to him. They all  _hurt_ , and he just wanted it to  _end_ . His chest was burning, constricting around his lungs and he couldn't breathe.

_Is it true he caught the last Runner on his own?  
Not caught, killed_ .

He was in danger here, with Blackwatch at his back. He had to get away. Alex grunted, tried to get his body under control and slowly, very slowly, the pain faded away and became more bearable.

Then, a new white-hot lance of agony shot through his body. Shockingly clear as opposed to the washed-out pain from before, but no less hurting. He hit the roof hard, body writhing beneath his skin as the fire settled just over his shoulder.

“Bring in the containment device.” Alex's heart leaped into his throat. One instinct flared up inside the mush that was his brain. _Get away._

His body moved, dragging itself to the edge of the roof until he finally had enough control over himself. He dropped over and crashed hard into the hospital yard, the shock finally clearing his mind enough so he could get his senses back together. Blackwatch was around him, and bullets started biting into his flesh. Alex hissed and ducked behind his arms, trying to focus on his claws to defend himself.

The transformation was...sluggish. The talons just barely slipped into existence before they vanished again. The next try they didn't even appear, and the tell-tale twisting of his flesh had turned into a frantic crawling beneath his skin.

His vision lurched, and he had to take an unsteady step to the front. “Can't control my body”, he grit out. “Can't even see straight...”

Whatever Cross hit him with, it was screwing up his system.

“It's ZEUS!” Somebody to his side yelled. “Take it down!”

Oh yeah. Not sticking around here. Alex grunted and forced his legs to move. The first couple of steps were painful and nauseating, but he quickly managed to sharpen his focus and steady his body. Then he sped up and tore out of the Mount Sinai's parking lot to run straight into the Central Park. He heard shouts behind his body and the roar of helicopter engines, but they weren't going to get him. He was going to escape, and he was going to get his body back under control. And then he was going to kill Karen.

* * *

 

After Alex had left in a hurry, Dana had grabbed a snack to eat and went right back to work. She had tried to focus on what Alex had said, about Carnival I and II, about Hope, Idaho... but she hadn't been able to quite focus on it. She had looked back at the list of names Alex had prepared, and instantly decided to check up on those people. In secret- he told her not to do this, after all. But after he all but stumbled over his own words, in combination with those huge ass and definitely lethal claws he could grow, she had felt that something was seriously  _off_ about what he did. It wasn't just that he went out and found the people to get the information- because how in the Hell could he get information if he clearly  _murdered_ them? (what else did he have those claws for) She was aware that he concealed that part from her, that he tried to play it down- but how should he be able to get that many names? Alex was no specialist in this kind of stuff, and no mind reader. Yet he had all those information- and he had gotten them within an extremely short amount of time.

That was when she started looking for ZEUS. It was the name Blackwatch had given him.

Blackwatch still sucked at making their servers hacker-resistant. It was easy getting in unseen. And this time, she went for the video clips. Clips from their own cameras, or clips they confiscated from the cops or civilians. Blackwatch was controlling the internet, taking out whatever they could find to keep it all covered up. And they had the resources to continue this for practically as long as they needed to.

She started with the first clips. There was rarely anything to be seen, other than a sudden shadow that flitted across the roofs, or maybe a blur that was clearly Alex- going  _up_ the sides of buildings or fucking  _flying_ across the street. Nothing too bad, things she already knew. And then Dana found a shaky security clip of Alex smashing through a roof of a military base, closely followed by a Hunter. He fought it, hand-to-hand. Dana saw him getting injured a few times, but he was completely fine the next moment. And then he jumped this big fucking thing- Dana's breathing stopped. There were those large...tentacles on her brother's back that stabbed into the thrashing Hunter beneath.

The thing more or less dropped as nothing more than skin and bones- and Alex got his claws out of it.

The clip ended there when something hit the security camera and destroyed it. Dana blinked, then looked for the next. A mess hall of sorts. A Marine walked up to another one sitting at one table. They argued- and suddenly the first one  _impaled_ the second one and then there were those black tentacles again. Black and squiggly- the body gone, the Marine gone, instead-  _Alex_ . And he proceeded to fucking murder every single Marine in that room with extreme prejudice- and giant spikes of doom. Then he walked out, changing into the Marine from the table. As if nothing had happened.

“Holy _fuck_ ”, Dana breathed, sitting back. Did she just see what she thought she did? Did Alex seriously just turn a guy into slushie, drink him up- and take his face? How long had he been able to _do_ this?

She suspected ever since he met her. He must have known- but he hadn't told her anything. Out of fear?

Somehow understandable, because this wasn't even  _human_ anymore. Still, she clung to the hope that he was still beneath all of this. Somehow, he  _had_ to be there.

She continued watching, hoping to see something that was clearly Alex- but all she saw was only more violence. Alex wasn't Alex anymore- he murdered people left and right, tore them to pieces, destroyed whatever got in his way.

“Holy fuck”, she muttered again. “Ho-oly fuck...” Was this really _her_ Alex? Was this really that awkward big boy who managed to raise _her_ through puberty? The violence, as odd as the realization was, was indeed something she knew. Alex had always lashed out at anybody, mostly to protect himself or her. He had never been good at this whole non-violent streak. 

But  _this_ Alex was a whole other level of violence. He was able to casually  _flatten tanks_ , for God's sake! Dana leaned back with a groan. She understood why he didn't tell her. Not about this. Because this was serious the fucking icing on the cake.

Then again, however, he always held back. He never hurt her or anything. He saved her, made sure she had everything she needed and took care that Blackwatch wouldn't find her. In a way, he was a much better brother than he'd been the five years before. And for this she felt she had to help him.

...Idaho, huh?

Dana closed the video clips and started to work.

* * *

 

Alex returned far later than Dana expected him to. She had been immersed in her work- and she was appalled by what she found. It was so bad, that what he did didn't even  _seem_ that bad in comparison. Alex would probably want to hear about it.

The door clapped, followed by a bone-weary groan. Dana lifted her head and turned on her swivel chair, watching how her brother-turned-killing-machine peeled out of the darkness.

She wanted to speak up, put her confusing thoughts into words, but all she managed to get out was “Man. You look like shit.” There was no nice way to say this. He really did. His skin was paler than before, the rings beneath his eyes darker. He was more or less limping, his entire body was stiff with tension. His eyes darted from one end of the room to another, and he was constantly hissing in pain. It concerned her more than him drinking people up did. “What happened?”

Alex found her face, before he looked away. “Blackwatch”, he said simply.

“Blackwatch?” Dana furrowed her brows.

“It was...a trap”, Alex continued. She saw his fists clench at his sides. “Karen- Karen sent me into a trap.”

“What?”

His lips peeled away from his teeth in a snarl. “She  _betrayed_ me, Dana!” He bit out. “She  _used_ me! I helped her, and she sent me into a trap from Blackwatch!” His body was shaking so much it startled her. Without thinking, she turned around and grabbed his arm. “Whoa. Calm down- tell me what happened.”

He was trembling under her hand, but the steady grip and her thumb drawing circles on his sleeve calmed him until he was able to speak. “She told me- told me to go into a Hive. Collect genetic samples.” He growled, but she did hear the tremor in his voice. “And then Blackwatch came. Or better, the Specialist came. I thought I could beat him- I almost did...but then he did something.” He cut himself off with a wince and Dana noticed black veins crawl up the side of his face. “My powers don't work the way they did before”, he added with a grunt. “I'm seeing double half the time and my back feels like it's on fire.” He groaned once, then added: “Must have agitated it when I ran away. Took me ages to shake Blackwatch.”

Shit. Alex was obviously in pain, had troubles with his fucked-up biology. Like Superman with Kryptonite. And she had no clue how to help him.

Didn't she?

Dana's eyes widened. “I think I can help you. I found something.” She whirled back to her computer, opening a series of pictures of a bald, dark-skinned man.

Alex grunted. “McMullen?” Right. His ex-boss. Boss of Gentek. If somebody knew about his powers, it would be him.

She shook her head. “Not McMullen. But I figured Blackwatch's watching someone for him. This guy's Doctor Bradley Ragland.”

“Where is he?” Alex demanded to know in a tone that made Dana remember the dead Marines in that Mess Hall. Better nip this in the bud, Ragland wasn't any of these fucks. Not anymore, anyhow.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Ragland's the good guy, okay?” Alex glanced at her, and Dana ran her hand through her hair. “He did work at Gentek, and according to those files, worked directly under McMullen. Like you, I guess. Anyways, he left them in '93. Blackwatch's been looking really closely at him, though they hadn't found any dirt on him.” She lifted her finger. “But the thing is, he worked on probably the same stuff you did. So if you're looking for somebody who has the knowledge to help you, it'll be him.”

Alex's expression darkened. “Where did I hear that before?”

Dana swallowed. “Hey- whatever happened with Karen, I'm sorry. But I doubt Blackwatch's going to come to the same conclusion. To them, Ragland's not as important as she had been. I don't think he is even aware of what's going on, wasn't probably in on the finished product.” Alex furrowed his brows, but nodded slowly.

“Possibly”, he remarked.

“He's uptown. Works at St. Paul's Hospital. Runs the morgue there.” Alex grunted and was about to head out already. “Wait”, Dana called after him. “There's more.”

He came back just in time for her to pull up some articles. “Alright, so I did some research on Hope, Idaho. It was an army town. On July 21 st 1969 however, it suddenly vanishes from the map.” Alex made a confirmative noise. Dana grinned a little on the inside- now she had something he did not know. “Now, the official word on it was that an anti-government gun-nut stand-off. A bunch of militia killed some people, and the Feds killed the militia.” On closer inspection, that was total bullshit. What kind of militia could take over an entire town? She guessed Blackwatch had taken care critical voices got silenced...permanently. She glanced at Alex to read his expression. He was attentive.

“Now”, she continued. “There was only _one_ survivor.” She opened a file labeled 'Hope Women's club'. It was an old picture from the early year of '68, showing a large smiling group. Dana poked the screen. “Notice the girl, second from the left? Okay, I know she's pretty bad overexposed, but still recognizable.”

“Elizabeth Greene”

“Or somebody who looks like her- but I don't think that's the case.” Dana hummed for a moment. “She looks an aweful lot like a college student these days. Not bad for a fifty-five-year-old.” She glanced at him. “Guess you can tick off 'eternal youth' on your list of superpowers.”

Alex frowned at her, then hissed and screwed his eyes shut, trying to rub his back. Dana eyed him worried. “Hey, everything alright?”

“Not sure”, he replied. “I'm going to meet up with Ragland, hope he can do something about it.”

“One last thing”, Dana added. “You asked me to figure out about Hope. And boy did I find something.” She was disgusted by it, however. “Listen-”

“Hope, Idaho was an experiment”, Alex suddenly cut in, eyes distant and voice dark. “They started in 1963. Carnival I. Tested the Redlight Virus on animals. It made them stronger and smarter.” 

Dana froze, slowly turning around to stare at him. How in the world did he know about this? Alex didn't seem to notice her expression as he continued to rattle down as if he was reading off a paper. “Then Carnival II. Tests on humans. They build Hope and infected the population there with it. Nothing happened. Until the children were born. Deformed. Most died within the first weeks. The last died on August 6 th 1968\. Two days later Greene began to infect the town. And then Blackwatch wiped the town off the map the following year.”

“No. Don't you fucking make shit up”, Dana demanded, standing to stare at his passive face. “How could you possibly know that? It took me _hours_ and some damn good hacks to get this- how can you already know this?!”

“Edmond Harper. Ricardo Garcia. Brian Zermeno. Craig Wright. Vincent Bateman. Others.”

Dana whirled around, eyes zeroing in on the sheets of paper Alex had scribbled full. Those names were there, next to the remark 'Hope'. Her heart fluttered. “How-”

“They had been nearby. They were told to check up on me once Blackwatch had secured me. They had been in Hope.” He paused, then added with a slightly more silent voice: “I found them first.”

Dana grabbed his wrist as he tried to walk out on her. “How?” She repeated. “Because you can't fucking tell me you manage to get a full confession out of  _five_ guys while Blackwatch was _hunting_ you!”

He scoffed. “I didn't  _need_ them to talk. I just had to get close.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” He just had to get close- Dana gasped, body going rigid. She remembered the black tentacles, the screams of the men he took...the face he had worn like it was a mask.

“I can hear them”, Alex confessed. “The people I've killed. They're in me. I can see the things they've done. I know what they knew. I can remember every day in their lives.” His eyes flashed and suddenly he wasn't her big brother anymore. This wasn't _Alex_ anymore- this was ZEUS, the creature Blackwatch was trying to stop. And for the first time, she _understood_ what these men were seeing.

Dana stepped back, heart racing inside her chest when he approached her. “I can understand it. For the first time since I woke up in the morgue, the world is making  _sense_ ”, he insisted. “I kill someone and I learn what he knew- learn what is going on. I am  _supposed_ to do these things. And it is  _right_ . I can feel it.”

Her backside hit the table and she was trapped between him and the wall, with no way out. Holy fuck- Alex _ate people_ _for their brains_. It was _sick_. Dana was shaking in fear- but Alex had never harmed _her_. Hadn't harmed Karen either- because they meant something to him. Because she was his little sister, and while he had been so desperate for answers he went the shortest and most terrifying way possible to him, she still wasn't obsolete to him- he always came back for _her_ help.

“Find Ragland”, she muttered in a very thin voice. “Ask him about McMullen.” _And please leave me alone. I have to unpack this._

Alex made a sound and stepped back, apparently realizing he was crowding her. There was a twitch in the corner of her eye, and she saw him slowly lifting his arm, reaching for her. Black tentacles and claws and bodies torn apart- Dana ducked back, shielding herself behind her hands and trembling in fear.

Then...nothing. Panting lightly, she peeked up carefully. But Alex was gone.

She collapsed bonelessly into her chair, groaning. “Oh Alex. What the fuck happened to you?”

 


	12. Under the Knife

**Under the Knife**

 

He had scared Dana. He didn't meant to, but he had just blurted it out without any actual control about what he said. And she had been  _terrified_ when he told her about what he did. He didn't know  _why_ the Hell he had done this, and a part of him just wanted to go back to her and try fix what he just fucked up, while the other part of him knew to keep his distance so she could try to work it out on her own.

A sudden wave of agony flashed through him, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling across a roof. He hit an air conditioner and ripped it easily off its holdings through the sheer power of his momentum alone until the force petered out. Alex was sprawled there, panting, trying to move with no avail. His body had locked up, and he  _felt_ the flesh beneath his shoulder fight back against the thing sticking to him. He had no chance to wait until it had settled, more or less defenseless in case somebody came looking.

The tremors died down after several minutes, and Alex slowly unclenched his frame to climb to his feet. “My back”, he ground out, “Feels like it's feeding on me.”

With a groan, he slowly started to move to make sure his legs took his weight. Something red in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he stopped. It was his reflection, mirrored in a dark window. It was  _him_ . Pale, haggard, washed-out in his dark clothes. Well, more than usually. 

And then he saw the red cyst writhing on his right shoulder. Alex froze, then turned his back to get a better view of it in the reflective glass.

Whatever it was that the Specialist had hit him with, it now looked quite similar to the mounds he usually found around Hives, albeit much smaller. But he could feel the tendrils burrow into his body, growing larger and stronger while he tried to hold it back. A growl ripped itself from his throat. “Ragland”, he snarled, pushing himself off. “Got to find him.”

Growling, he started moving. Slowly first, but he quickly managed to build some speed. It was less than what he was used to, but if he went any faster, the thing in his back would act up worse than it already did and send another jolt of pain through him. He'd better get it out of his body as soon as possible.

He kept to the roofs, and despite going only half the speed he usually went at, he still made good time. He found the Hospital Complex at the east side of Manhattan, and stopped momentarily as he took in the sheer size of it. Marines and some Blackwatch commanders had taken over much of the area, too, cutting off the people and taking care of the viral scanners around. Alex instantly headed to the north and entered the complex from this side, taking care to stick to the rooftops and remain behind the various air conditioners and water towers on the buildings.

Luckily, beyond the barriers was only little military activity, and Alex dropped off to change into a Marine to find the morgue. It would be easier to just grab one of these guys, but when the thing in his back gave a particularly painful jab, he abandoned the idea out of fear that it would knock him to the floor on the next surge of agony. His skin was covering the growth at the moment, but he felt it eating its way to the surface. He could drag it deeper by shifting the flesh beneath, but he'd rather not do it, unless he wanted to lose even more mass to the thing.

Meaning he didn't have too much time to stick around in one particular shape before he had to revert.

_Fucking wonderful_

With a wince, his pulled himself away from the open to poke around the network of drives, gates and parked vehicles. With the infection starting to take over, one'd expect a lot more activity here, but he already knew that this wasn't the case. Injured humans from the Red Zones were denied medical assistance no matter the situation. It sounded cruel, but he understood the urgency behind that. One Infected inside the hospital could turn everything around here into a Hive like the Mount Sinai.

Dana said Ragland was working in the morgue, so Alex's way led him to the back entrances of the building. The signs around were a great help, and he did find the entrance to the morgue with no problem. His back was acting up, so after making sure he was clear, he shifted back into himself and entered into a dark and narrow hallway after easily picking the door open. The smell of antiseptics was overwhelming enough to make him halt in his track and gasp involuntarily. It stung his nose and made the thing in his back squirm painfully. Alex paused for a moment until everything settled, then continued walking. He briefly switched into his thermal vision to check the area, though until now, he only found one soft orange blob in the distance. It seemed the Infection had already left the hospital seriously understaffed. He easily switched back into his normal vision, feeling a small headache creeping up on him for using it, then continued to walk down the hallway.

He could soon hear the voice. Muffled through a thin layer of steel and the distance, but unmistakeably that of a doctor. He picked up things like 'lobe' and 'sores', and wondered who the man was talking to. Maybe a recorder?

Silently, he pushed his way through the door, finding an older, heavy-set man bent over a corpse on a stainless steel table. The lighting was poor- only a lamp above the table itself, another at a desk in a corner and some over in a small office room located to the side of the morgue. From the looks of it, Alex figured that the man had spend more time snoozing on that couch there than he was at home- and maybe he took up residence here to avoid braving the Red Zones out there.

A recorder sat to the side of the corpse, and the doc picked up his voice again. “Odd structures in the parietal lobe, resembling parasitic infection...”

“Doctor Ragland?”

The man cut himself off and glared at Alex through his glasses. His eyes narrowed before he turned away, dismissing the man. “Already said I won't deal with you people. My medical opinion is not for sale.”

Alex took no offense in being brushed off. Instead, he cocked his head and glanced at the body. He could sense the infection inside the corpse, though dead and safe to work with. The thing in his back ached again, but remained silent otherwise. Was probably the low temperature that made it a bit more compliant.

“Most people wouldn't recognize the growth as 'parasitic infection'”, he pointed out instead. “In fact, most would go for 'growth', then take samples. Figured you've done something similar before.” Ragland had a mixture between surprise and suspicion on his face. Alex shrugged. “I'm impressed.”

The coroner glared over the edge of his glasses, covered the body on the table and pulled off his gloves to switch off the recorder. “What is it what you want, exactly?”

“Your help stopping the virus”, Alex replied. He hoped Dana had been right about Ragland willing to help him. He had no idea what to do otherwise if this was just another waste of time.

The look he got turned guarded. “Why?”

Alex slowly moved to the side in a way that rendered the growth on his shoulder plainly visible to the man. The coroner flinched back, eyes widening. He swayed back a little when Alex focused on his surface, letting small tendrils run across it. “You could say I'm... _symptomatic_ .” 

The coroner's eyes flitted over to the door, as if trying to figure out whether running would do any good, then back to Alex- and his expression turned confused.

“How is this...I always thought-”

“I _am_ infected”, Alex cut off the stammer. “However, I am _not_ as mindless as the others out there. In fact, I am more than lucid. Which is why I am here.” He gestured with his hand to his back. “Blackwatch wants to stop me. Wants to take whatever strain I have and weaponize it. What is out there at the moment will be a walk in the park compared to what would happen if they succeed. Which is why I need your expertise. You worked with Gentek.”

The man's back went ramrod straight. “How do you know of this?”

“I have my sources”, Alex replied simply, ignoring the throbbing feeling on his back. “More importantly- you have to pick a side. Blackwatch? Or me?”

Ragland stared at him, brows drawn together. He glanced briefly at the door, then back at Alex. “Since I really can't condone what Gentek made with my work, it appears I don't have much choice in this matter, have I?” He sighed, but his glare remained alert. “Now, it seems you know my name, but I still don't know who- or  _what_ \- I'm dealing with.”

Alex cocked his head. “My name is Alex Mercer”, he explained. “I used to work for Gentek.”  _Until I woke up in their morgue_ , he thought darkly as he glanced at the all-too-familiar room.

However, it appeared it meant  _something_ to the doc. His expression turned into something Alex couldn't quite place. “Project Blacklight?” He asked.

_Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight._ Alex stared at him puzzled. Ragland furrowed his brows.

“Ah, Hell. I told Raymond to not continue the research. I told him we were doing the Devil's work there. But he didn't listen.” He scoffed and glanced at the hooded man. “What happened in Penn Station- this was Blacklight, correct?”

Alex had winced slightly at the mentioning of the station, but this time there was no brain-tearing fire of agony. No pictures, nothing. “Yes”, he managed to grind out. “Somebody released it. I caught it. I try to find out who is responsible.”

“And that's why you are here”, Ragland noticed. “Because _I_ could help you get to Raymond. McMullen?”

“Exactly” Alex cocked his head. “Can you?”

“My hands are tied”, the coroner replied. “After I left Gentek, I stayed in contact with Raymond. But ever since all of this here started...He's hiding. Won't let me anywhere near him, and I doubt I'd even want to.” He shook his head and stepped back to cross his arms. “So if you came here to ask me to get you an audience, you're wasting your time.”

Alex snorted. “Didn't believe it'll work anyways. However, there is another matter that concerns me.”

Ragland furrowed his brows, then glanced at Alex's shoulder. “I'll guess- that thing there is not part of your...infection. Correct?”

“No”, Alex bared his teeth in anger. “I need it _gone_.”

Ragland tapped his fingers against his upper arm. “I think I know what this is”, he stated slowly. “Mhm...you are...infected, as you told me. Infected with  _Blacklight_ . Now I haven't had much contact to the project asides from the first years, but I think I recognize it.” He snapped his fingers. “If Blackwatch tried to stop you, I think they're using a  _cure_ , so to speak. Something that works only on Blacklight, weakens it.”

“I gathered as much”, Alex replied dryly. So it was a cure? Just...not against the things he wanted it made for.

Ragland shrugged. “I can only speculate at this point. But I believe that this...cure acts more or less like cancer. It weakens the host, uses its resources to grow- and it has been specifically tailored to work on Blacklight. To make it let go, you'd need a way to counter its aggressive nature...cut off its food supply.”

“So what?” Alex questioned, “You're suggesting to cut it out?”

“This would only slow the growth. The danger is that it possibly is too deep inside your system already.” Ragland paused, shaking his head. “I'll help you”, he said, “However, to do so I'll need to know where the military has Patient Zero.”

“Patient Zero...one of the bodies from Penn Station.”

“Correct”, Ragland nodded. “Raymond had sent me two bodies after the incident, wanted my opinion on them, but some of those specters came here and took them again. Since they had been infected with Blacklight, just as you are, I think I can learn something by observing them.”

“So, in other words, the bodies from the first outbreak, the one from Penn Station, are the key. Find the specters who took them, find the bodies, get answers. That correct?”

“Sounds about right.”

“Any idea where to start looking for these guys?”

“Pretty sure some of them still stick around”, the coroner replied.

“Good.” Alex snorted. “Make sure you're ready, doc. I'll be back soon.”

* * *

 

A cancer-like parasite. Not exactly the worst that could have happened to him at the hands of Blackwatch, but also not really the nicest thing. It squirmed deeper into his back, ate its way through his flesh and grew fat on his misery.

Alex didn't trust Ragland, not after Karen, but he hadn't noticed the same panic patterns in the doc he noticed in Karen. He had been surprised, scared, but as soon they had talked, his pulse had somewhat slowed down. And, unlike Karen, he wasn't acting nervous. No eyes flitting about, no sharp intake of air, no stumbling over his words.

He wasn't scared of somebody  _behind_ his back, he had just been startled by his sudden appearance. In a world where everybody was his enemy, Alex counted this as a victory. Still, he was going to keep a close eye on the man until he would know where his loyalties were.

At the moment, however, Ragland was his only chance at getting this parasite out of his back.

The bodies from Penn Station, huh? Alex carefully moved across the compounds of the hospital complex, keeping his eyes peeled for black-clad soldiers. Any of them could know somebody who had more information. A captain would be preferable, though he would be satisfied with a low foot soldier as well.  _Not_ a Marine, however. Blackwatch used the Marines for meat shields, but didn't tell them what was going on.

Alex paused at another painful jerk of the parasite, just in time to spy three Blackwatch soldiers standing around near the overpass and trying to look important.

One of them would know where the bodies were, though he couldn't risk raising an alarm if he took just one. This meant he'd have to take all three. Alex cracked his neck. No problem there.

The closest guy stood with his back to a dumpster, Alex easily slunk closer, taking cover behind the dumpster once the guy did throw a look over his shoulder.

As soon his back and those of his buddies were turned, Alex struck. He grabbed the man's throat to muffle any sound, and snapped his neck in one swift motion, stepping into his shape easily. He grit his teeth together, forcing his body to remain still when the memories flooded through his mind. Arrington had been there when McMullen ordered to hand two of the corpses over to Ragland, but he wasn't aware of where they were now.

The man's buddies hadn't noticed anything at the moment, so Alex quickly went for the next guy. This one was on the clean-up crew- most of the bodies were filled in barges and set on fire. Including some from Penn Station, though he was aware that there were still some left. In a base somewhere?

Alex grunted and grabbed the last of the goons, finally finding somebody in his memories who had a little more brains than the others. And he had information regarding Captain Lim- who was in charge of the complex.

But he wasn't here at the moment.  _I'm taking the heavy armor to destroy a Hive. Get control points up in this area, then rendezvous with us at Gentek._

So. Lim was at Gentek. In the middle of a Red Zone, right at a Hive, if Yarish's information were correct. Alex groaned as the memories settled, then immediately headed to the roof of the hospital. He'd have to hurry to get to the captain before any of the Infected would kill him- and there were a lot of them by now. The latest estimations done by Blackwatch had named twenty percent of the current population of Manhattan as infected. More than half a million people were under the influence of Redlight. Nearly everything in Midtown Manhattan was affected, as was everything around Harlem and Westside. Merely parts of the Eastside and Lower Manhattan were clean, but the Red Zones kept growing mercilessly. Alex hadn't been in Upper Manhattan yet, but he could guess it was just as worse.

He needed to destroy Greene.

As he headed several blocks to the west to avoid the residential area and the heavily guarded Queensboro Bridge, he felt the parasite squirm inside his shoulder. He stopped abruptly, brows drawn together. The pain was...neglectable. At the moment, his body was strong enough to subdue the the parasite, or at the very least, negate the damage it was doing. He instantly tried to summon his claws, but other than a weak shiver along his arms, nothing happened. So these were still off-limits, then. But the pain, dizziness and sensory troubles were gone.

For the moment.

But why...

The soldiers.

He had consumed the soldiers- and the pain had faded. Did this mean that with consumption he could keep the parasite at bay?

It was...possible. At the moment, the thing was feeding off his flesh, his mass. If he added more to his weight by consuming victims, then the total amount of him compared to the parasite was greater, quite literally drowning it. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but until now Alex had no plan what else would work, barring from trying to blow it out of his shoulder with a Javelin missile.

He shook his head and started moving again, paying attention to the cancer and whether it was starting to hurt again. He still had to find Lim and figure out where the bodies were. At least his gliding ability hadn't been affected by the parasite, so he tried to spend as much time as possible in the air to move faster. To avoid wasting time.

Of course, it was tricky- he had to avoid large concentrations of soldiers to prevent detection, and he had to make sure to steer clear of heavily infected areas and especially infected water towers. In his current state he wasn't too sure whether he would be able to take on a Hunter. Without weapons and with decreased strength and agility it would be anything but a walk in the park, so it would be better to avoid it.

This hopefully wouldn't remain that way for too long.

By the time he reached the Gentek building, the parasite was acting up again. Alex growled enraged, feeling that trying to blast it off with a missile launcher was actually the most desired attempt at removing the thing. If only to override the pain it caused him. At the moment, it was still in the manageable frame, but it was growing steadily worse. Ever since he had dived into the red miasma of the Infection, the thing had turned more active.

Luckily, he found Blackwatch easily enough. Explosions were hardly inconspicuous, as were two dozen men on the streets that shot everything that moved. Alex noticed around five tanks and another dozen men grouped around on the wall-like office construction around Gentek's central spire, using missile launchers to shoot at the Hive just across the street. The men on the ground were targeting the Infected and Walkers that poured out of the building to defend the nest, while the tanks fired rapidly at groups of Infected- or the occasional Hunter.

Captain Lim was somewhere in this mess, in one of the tanks. But he wasn't going to show his face, not even to the infamous ZEUS showing his face. It was too dangerous for him otherwise. They were doing great progress too, and if they were finished, they would leave the area. Alex could not allow it, though he had to be careful about it. With the parasite and his missing powers, he could not attack them head-on and hope for the best.

But there were other ways.  _How to get the attention of the officer? You start killing all of his men._

Alex instantly dropped off the building he was on to hit the courtyard of Gentek, the noise from the ground cracking being easily masked and drowned out by the riot on the street. No helicopters circling overhead yet, though he had the sinking feeling they were going to appear sooner or later.

_Better hurry, then_ .

He ran over to the base of the building that cut off the courtyard and jumped up. Just three stories to slam his hands into the facade and climb the last level upwards.

He carefully pulled himself over the edge to avoid making any suspicious sounds. There were six Blackwatch soldiers at the opposite side, all of them equipped with Javelin launchers and stashes of extra ammunition besides them. They were trying to blow the ever-loving shit out of the Hive and the few Hunters, to keep the heat off the ground troops. To Alex, these were the most dangerous foes of the entire mess.

He quickly closed in on the left-most guy, knowing fully well that their tactical gear restricted their range of vision. Grabbing one right from the side of another was actually possible- and probably wouldn't raise an alarm.

If he was quick about it.

Without wasting his time, Alex snatched the guy, muffled any sounds he could have made, and consumed him. He felt the typhoon of memories wash over him and hastily shoved them to the back of his mind for later evaluation. The only thing he kept was the knowledge about  _which_ tank Lim used. 

He dropped the missile launcher and quickly turned to grab the next guy and consumed him as well, then the one next to him. The pain in his back was easing up somewhat, but not as much as it had done back at the hospital.

Something roared, and he had a split second to watch a Hunter lunge across the street and slam into the fifth guy to flatten him. Instantly, the other men whirled around. Alex was glad he was currently in his disguised form, but he could tell from the stiffening shoulders of the men that they noticed the abandoned missile launchers and the others missing.

The Hunter recognized him as well, roaring as it dove at him. Alex swore and rolled to the side, then raced across the roof as fast as he could to get some distance. The men whirled around, shouting.

They had recognized him, so there was no need to keep the disguise. Alex shifted back into his normal form and aimed the launcher, then squeezed the trigger. The explosion tore the Hunter to bits, as it did the two remaining Blackwatch troopers on that roof. But yells from the other side drew Alex's attention- the other six had realized what was going on.

He didn't give them time to change their target. He leapt over and pulled his knees close to his body, while also swinging his fists down  _hard_ . The roof buckled and warped, and the Blackwatch soldier right next to him simply  _splattered_ \- the shockwave of the impact having easily torn him apart. Alex blinked for a second, then dove at the other guys. He remembered when he tested out his Hammerfists- and tried to copy the move he'd used even without the massive weapons. He slammed his knuckles together, generating another devastating shockwave. Two more guys went down with their chests caved in, while the other three were flung off the roof and smashed against the sidewalk.

“Request a Strike Team! Fuck! I need a Strike Team here!”

Alex swung around, eyes settling on the Blackwatch guy on the ground. Without thinking, he simply  _jumped_ , dropping to the floor at a startling speed. As soon he hit the ground, he shot to the front and smashed into the man, killing him and three others that stood directly behind him.

But the damage was done. He heard the roar of several Apaches racing towards their position and swore loudly. The other Blackwatch troops were torn between shooting him and shooting the Infected. Alex didn't let them decide.

He catapulted himself off the ground and back to the rooftop. The choppers were more dangerous than the tanks, though he wouldn't risk staying on street level either. Too cramped down there, no good view of the helicopters. Didn't mean the roof was secure either, but at least he had the advantage of being able to dodge.

And he had  _weapons_ here.

He heard the hiss of a missile and lunged to the side. Unguided missile or guided, made no difference. They wouldn't be able to turn as sharp as he made his corners. They missed by several feet, but the shockwaves from their impacts still made the entire building shake. If he got unlucky, the roof beneath would collapse.

He couldn't risk it, so he quickly changed course and dove for one of the missile launchers that lay abandoned on the roof. He snatched it up and easily propped it against his shoulder, then whirled and aimed at the closest chopper.

The explosion drowned out all noise around them as the helicopter turned into a giant ball of fire, dropping into the street and killing several Infected there. The others were still coming though, unbothered by the first one's demise. Alex spun back and headed for the spare Javelins. He'd better reload to take down the other choppers while their sight was still obstructed with the smoke and flames.

One suddenly swooped down, blowing away the smoke and rendering him visible. Alex snarled and just  _threw_ the missile he was holding. The force of the impact was still enough to blow up the volatile compounds of the weapon, and the next chopper went down in flames. Alex paused for a moment as the world around him seemed to slow to a stand-still.

_Perfect_

He instantly dropped the spent launcher and dashed for the next Javelin missile, using the new smokescreen for cover, and managed to grab two more. Then he kicked off and shot straight up, whirling as he flung the first of his missiles into the closest Apache. It blew up as well.

One left.

The helicopter rolled to the side in an attempt to get into his blind angle. Alex easily changed his position with an easy air dash.

His world was suddenly drowned out in fire and  _pain_ . His body crashed hard into the courtyard, tearing a crater. He was ruined, he realized, his flesh burnt away and his senses scrambled to high Hell. That...hadn't been one of the choppers. The missile hadn't blown up by itself either...so what was left?

The  _tanks_ . One of them had landed a lucky shot and blew up the missile he'd been holding.

Alex growled and forced himself to stand, his body regenerating as he did so. The remaining Apache came at him now, believing him to be an easy target. Alex bared his teeth at it and rushed to the side, trying to stay in a blind angle as much as possible. Plus, somebody had parked a lot of cabs here, probably to clear the street, so they were where Alex went. He grabbed the first one, yanked it over his head and whirled to face the chopper, then threw it with all his might. The helicopter went down as a mess of twisted metal, but before it hit the ground, Alex was already back on top of that roof. He found another abandoned missile launcher and grabbed it, lunging across to the Hive in the same motion. He spun to face the tanks. He had one shot and five tanks- the one with the additional rail gun mounted to its top was out of the calculation because that was Lim's. But the others...Alex squeezed the trigger, eradicating one of them in a massive ball of fire.

The others- well, he did have a plan for them too. He darted over to the hind-most tank, going too fast for the others to turn their turrets into his direction in time- and jumped up on the tower. He immediately set to work, digging his hands into the lid and starting to pry it off. He managed to rip it off after worrying it for a good few seconds, and quickly dove into the inside of the tank to avoid being blasted off by the other three, which had finally aimed their main cannons at him.

Four startled men stared at him. Four  _dead_ men once he was done with them. Consuming them in these cramped quarters had been easy.

With a content groan, he dropped into the driver's seat and took control. The tank shook violently when one of the others started to fire at him. Motion had always been his best defense, so Alex instantly slammed into reverse and backed out, shooting at the nearest tank all the while. He managed to destroy it, even as his own vehicle was taking massive amount of damage.

But that didn't matter- he'd just have to get out of range to ditch the armor. Then he would be able to get back and grab one of the Javelins or missile launchers and take out the last Abrams. He ignored the soldiers still gathered at the street. They didn't bother him, and anything smaller than a rocket launcher didn't interest his tank anyways. Plus, the Infected were starting to violently tear into them. They'd be dead either way.

Another explosion rocked his vehicle, followed by the loud shriek of metal bursting. Alex growled when the turret ripped off. Braking hard and ripping the controls around, he still managed to back into Gentek's courtyard. Without wasting time, he left the driver's seat and shot out of the hatch, heading back to the roof once he was in the clear. One damaged tank and Lim's tank left- and a whole lot of Infected that tried to defend their nest.

The parasite jerked inside his shoulder, forcing him on his knees with a poorly-contained swear. His body locked up again, rendered him defenseless- and a Hunter noticed it. It pounced on the weakened Alex, claws tearing through his chest and stomach in an attempt to kill him. Alex gasped in pain. His world quickly turned gray from the sheer agony- until all of it bled  _red_ . With an enraged howl, he slammed both his feet hard into the Hunter to get it to back off. It reeled yowling- and Alex went for its throat. His hands slammed hard into its flesh, caving in a section of its neck and the Hunter staggered. Alex didn't wait for it to recover, instead he rocketed off the floor and brought both knees up to crash them into its jaw, breaking it. The Hunter started flailing, but Alex only wrapped his arms tighter around its neck. With only little effort, he snapped the beast's spine.

Then his tentacles came out and grabbed the writhing creature. His body was on fire, demanded sustenance- and he wouldn't stop it. The Hunter bucked and yelped under him, but he was simply stronger. Within moments, he had drained it of all muscles and tissues, leaving only bones and skin behind.

His health improved rapidly, but the parasite only dug  _deeper_ . He could feel it deep in his body, its tendrils growing and latching onto his organs. Alex gasped, but quickly forced his own muscles to start moving.

He hurried to the edge of the roof, noticing how three more Hunters were just in the process of demolishing the remaining tank. He leapt off and landed harshly on Lim's vehicle, slamming his fingers into the hatch once more.

He heard alarmed shouts from inside- and yanked the lid right out. Snarling, he dropped inside, hands grabbing the closest of the guys to consume him, then busied himself assaulting the other three guys. One of them- captain Lim- tried to escape by daringly attempting to rush past Alex and get out of the hatch- but Alex was faster. Easily, he grabbed the man's leg and tugged him down, slamming him into his own chest to snap his bones and devour him as well.

“ _Your new orders are this: recover all samples, bodies and evidence from Doctor Ragland. Bring them to Base AE-One.”_

Base AE-One. In the middle of Harlem. The bodies were there. He just had to get there and-

The tank shook, and the roar of a Hunter bounced off its metal walls. Alex's body gave off another surge of pain. The Infection was too strong here, the parasite was more active, eating him way faster than it had done before. Alex grunted and forced himself to focus on the tank controls. He floored the gas and the Abrams lurched to the front, shaking the Hunter. Realistically, it shouldn't pursue him any further when he moved away from the Hive it was defending.

This time, he was lucky. As he left Gentek behind at forty miles per hour, his pulse calmed down. He hadn't noticed it before, but his heart had been racing inside his chest for this entire time, nearly bursting from the strain.

Here however, he was safe. Here he was secure. With a moan, he sank back, feeling the tank's engine rumble softly underneath him, soothing his aching body.

Cold water slapped into his face, startling Alex. His head snapped up and his eyes widened at the sight of murky liquid flooding through the torn-open hatch.

_Water? Why?_

His body bristled and the parasite squirmed inside his flesh. This time, Alex agreed with it. Water had no good implications to him, so he abandoned his tank and scrambled out of the hatch. Gasping in shock, he realized that he was right in the middle of  _water_ \- and now his feet were getting wet. He lunged off the sinking Abrams and shot across the treacherous depths, landing harshly at the FDR drive. Dry. Safe.

But how was he here? How did he end up in the water?

“Fuck, dude!” Alex's head snapped to the side where a guy in loose jeans stood. He wasn't alone, either, because there were a lot of people around. A lot of people...and flattened cars. He was in some sort of parking lot? At the East River?

How...?

His eyes widened. He had  _passed out_ ! He had fucking passed out as soon he had been safe. Passed out and slumped over the controls of an M1 Abrams- he had apparently managed to get north by fourteen blocks at least and out of the Red Zone, before he had veered off course and simply dropped off the parking lot near the ferry terminal and into the drink.

His body gave a harsh clench, making him double over in pain. His fingers dug into the concrete beneath, digging trenches as his breathing became labored.

“Hey man, you alright?” The guy from before approached him. “Shit, you don't look so good.” His fingers brushed Alex's shoulder near the parasite, and his world ceased to exist. There was only the feeling of a human's hand on his flesh. An unsuspecting human- and he was so _hungry_.

Alex twisted and  _lunged_ . The man screamed, and all his killer felt was  _satisfaction_ . But it wasn't  _enough_ .

There were more people. More prey. More mass to consume- and Alex gladly did so. With an ungodly roar, he pounced on the next person (man? Woman? Who cared) and tore them apart. The others screamed and started running. Alex simply set after them, killing and consuming several more until the beating of rotors took his attention. Three Apaches approached the scene from the water- Alex whirled around and dashed away, not willing to try and face them here. They noticed him and set after him, spewing bullets and missiles, but he managed to reach the United Nations headquarters and the tunnel below. He stopped abruptly, shifted into somebody at random, and mixed with the fleeing pedestrians to leave the tunnel the way he just came.

Not waiting for the choppers to realize that he escaped and return, Alex quickly set off to the East, heading towards the taller buildings to get back on the roofs. The Apaches were looking for him in the wrong direction, though he still ran a wide curve to avoid detection.

His pulse had sped up again, and the parasite was throbbing in his back. Several times along the way he felt a blackout creeping up on him, though he somehow did manage to power through by sheer stubborness alone.

However, by the time he finally reached the loading dock of the morgue, black spots and dark edges swallowed up what was left of his visual field, while what he could see kept slipping out of focus. The parasite wasn't hurting, strangely. He guessed it had finally eaten through the nerves and was now happily digging through his lungs. Alex had been choking several times during the last ten minutes, and each cough had sounded wetter than the one before. He could taste copper and iron on his tongue. His entire body was shaking, straining against unconsciousness- but first he needed to get to safety.

With herculean effort, he managed to open the door and stumble down the hallway, each step sending another wave of agony through his legs and into his chest, where it settled in white-hot flames near his heart.

He was aware of the metal doors swinging open as he burst through, groaning. “Ragland!”

No doctor around. Alex managed to latch onto the stainless steel sink as his entire body cringed together. He was coughing again, and this time it distinctly felt as if he'd bust a lung or both. Wheezing, Alex stared at the red and black splatters near the drain, feeling another tremor going through his system.

“Ragland” He managed to grit out before his legs finally gave out under him, sending him tumbling to the ground. He curled up into a tight ball, shaking like mad. His entire body was burning, burning through his core and leaving nothing but ashes behind.

Distantly, he heard voices, wondering what this was about. But his head felt like it was filled with cotton and anything remotely harder than trying (and failing) to breathe was too hard for him to do.

Not that he wanted to do anything else- he was just so tired.

Sleep, yeah, sleep sounded great.

Steps approached him rapidly, but he was just too tired to do something about it. With a last whimper, his world faded into darkness.

 


	13. The Stolen Body

 

The darkness around him soothing, in a way. He felt as if he was floating. But...it wasn't right. He certainly had no reason to feel like this. What had happened before?

Captain Lim. Finding out where the bodies were. The parasite. Right. He had coughed up blood, then had collapsed and passed out.

His shoulder throbbed distantly, and it only grew stronger the more he came back to his senses. Alex grunted and slowly pried his eyes open. The bright light blinded him for a moment, though it barely stopped him. At first, he tried to figure out where he was.

He was in Ragland's morgue. To be more precise, on the floor in Ragland's morgue. Alex groaned, then rolled over so he got his hands under his chest and heave himself up.

“Ah, good to see you awake.” He paused and glanced up, spotting Ragland sitting at his desk. The doctor waved his hand. “You worried me there, son”, he pointed out. “Just lying there, not moving and my sink's full of blood.”

“The parasite”, Alex ground out, finally lifting himself and brushing off his jeans. “It simply...overwhelmed me.”

“I thought as much.” Ragland sighed and spun around on his chair to get up. “I hope you don't mind that you stayed right there on the floor, but at my age I'm not supposed to lift heavy weights anymore.”

“I don't.” Alex moved closer, glancing at the screen of the computer. “What's this?”

“Ah”, Ragland sighed, motioning to two glass phials on the desk. “While you were passed out, I took a few samples from the parasite- and you. Trying to figure out what made it tick.”

Alex's eyes narrowed. Who knew what the doctor had done to him? He couldn't trust him, not after Karen. His fists clenched at his sides as his mind raced through all the possibilities open to him now. What should he do? Kill and consume the doc, figure out what he knew? Keep sticking around?

Ragland noticed his expression, and quickly lifted his hands. “Look, I know what you're thinking. But if I wanted to harm you, I'd done so when you were unconscious.”

He had a point there. And he was also still there and had looked at the cancer instead of running to Blackwatch and have them take him. Alex scoffed and forced himself to calm down. He inclined his head after a few moments. “And?”

Ragland seemed to relax slightly. “Well, the parasite is obviously not  _your_ strain. I rather think it's Redlight-based.”

Most likely. Karen had him gather Redlight samples- and this was what he was now carrying in his shoulder.

“It's genetically altered, though”, Ragland added thoughtfully. “At its most basic, it is working like a cancer, as I already suspected. Eating through your Biomass to fuel its own growth. The more Redlight Biomass you introduce into your body, the stronger it becomes.”

“Already figured that much”, Alex growled, thinking back to how consuming the Hunter had made him feel like shit. He paused, glancing at Ragland. “How do you know?”

The doctor shrugged. “Son, I have been on the project way before you came of age. I left them, but I created the foundation for this thing. And I know how it works- how you work.” He hummed for a moment. “You have to consume other organic lifeforms, correct? To heal damage and keep your system running.”

Alex sighed. “Yeah.” He didn't like doing it, but he knew he had to. Unless he wanted to waste away.

“What you do is radically different to human nutrition. It's more like an infection”, Ragland pointed out. “When you consume, you effectively infect your victims with your strain, make them like you are- but instead of letting them run about you drag them in, add their mass to yourself to use it for fixing damage and metabolism.”

Alex frowned, inclining his head. This wasn't something he'd given much thought to. “And?”

“It appears that Redlight has better chances at staying as a whole- meaning Redlight takes longer to fully incorporate into your own system. And the parasite latches onto these traces first.”

“Growing faster when I consume Infected.”

“Exactly.” Ragland ran his hand over his scalp. “And I know the implications of this- because to battle the cancer, you'd need undiluted Blacklight Biomass generated through consuming unaffected prey.”

Alex groaned. “Figured as much too. But...is there not another way?” He really did not want to doom even more humans to this fate. Their voices were always there, always whispering in a white background noise. When he had nothing to occupy his mind with, he couldn't ignore them.

He hated it.

Ragland frowned. “Well, it looks like your strain- Blacklight- is still able to suppress the parasite even without additional Biomass. While you had passed out, it hadn't taken over but rather went inert again. Why?”

Alex blinked, then frowned. “Because Blacklight is stronger?” Made sense- he could consume already infected creatures and turn them into Blacklight Biomass, because Blacklight was stronger than Redlight, able to rewrite the already infected matter into a different infection. It also meant as long he wasn't busy being  _conscious_ , his body could focus on fighting the parasite.

“It's more adaptive, that's for sure.” The doctor took off his glasses to clean them. “I gather the collapse that happened was only because you were stressed. I assume you've found out where the bodies are?”

Base AE- One. Harlem. Had once been the Harlem hospital, but after the Infection struck, Blackwatch and the Marines took it over. Alex nodded. “I did.”

“Getting those information from Blackwatch probably wasn't easy, so I can only guess. The parasite grew stronger because your body was weakened. I think with enough rest and time, you'd be able to reject it naturally without my help.”

“Time I don't have”, Alex replied with a scoff.

Ragland sighed. “Probably.” He pulled up a stool and motioned for Alex to sit on it. Alex himself wasn't so keen to have a possible foe to his back, but still followed through. Ragland prodded at the growth, sending jolts of pain race through his body each time. “That doesn't look too good”, he mentioned. “It seems as if the parasite has burrowed too deep into you.”

“Tell me something I don't know”, Alex growled, wincing when the thing gave another jerk. “Can you burn it?”

“That wouldn't help”, Ragland replied, but he still rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a pair of thick gloves. “If I burn it, then chances are I harm you- either directly or indirectly because the parasite will then grab more Biomass out of you to heal itself. In that case, the two of you are similar- it is taking over some of your abilities.”

“Fucking wonderful.”

“I can however help you stop its growth, at least temporarily.” There was a sharp hiss, followed by something pressed into his back. It was _cold_. 

Alex jumped with a poorly contained swear. “Fuck!!”

“Liquid nitrogen”, Ragland explained calmly as Alex had whirled around, ready to throttle him. “I thought that _freezing_ it might be more helpful to you.”

Freezing? Did he mean to...stop its metabolism? “It won't remove the thing”, he realized, “Just renders it passive.”

“Yes”, The doctor replied. “It could buy you some time.”

Alex furrowed his brows, then sat down once more. “Do it again”, he told the older man. “Freeze it to its core. I don't want any surprises.”

“Because of the base?”

“Yes. And I have to take you there, so you can deal with the bodies directly. But I can't afford to be distracted.”

Ragland heaved a long-suffering sigh. “I hope you know what you're doing.” He grabbed a ladle and dunked it into the liquid nitrogen. “You'll need transport. Once you have it, get here, and we'll head over to that base.”

Alex grit his teeth when the frigid liquid made contact with his back, but he also felt the parasite squirm before it went silent. “Deal.”

* * *

 

Transportation. He needed transportation- which roughly translated to 'tank'. So Alex headed back to the garrison nearby. There were several vehicles he could use, though the question was how to get one without anybody noticing? It wouldn't be easy to sneak a tank out of the compound without them realizing it.

However...there was always the  _tricky_ approach. With the parasite shock-frozen at the moment, his head was clear and worked better now. Not for long, though- it would thaw pretty soon. His own body temperature was actually betraying him there- serving as a personal furnace to the thing.

Better hurry. He dropped off the roof he'd been at and shifted into another faceless Marine soldier. He made sure the name tag was gone, so nobody would be able to identify him as somebody who was supposed to be dead, as he easily moved closer. He paused when he heard voices. Several Marines stood together, talking.

“Shit, you noticed the fuck going on at Blackwatch?”

“Hard not to. Fuck, Zombies, Monsters, fucking ZEUS- What the Hell is going on here?”

“What the Fuck is ZEUS anyways? Thought he was just a terrorist?”

“Terrorist my ass. That thing's a killing machine. You haven't been there when it took out some of my guys, a tank and a fucking _building_.”

“Fuck. What about Taggart? Shouldn't he be stopping this thing?”

“Bastard's too busy kissing Blackwatch's ass. Personally, I'd rather know a few things. I mean, where the fuck are these Zombies from?”

“The Red Zones. Those Hives.”

“I meant where the fuck does the Zombie Virus come from? You can't tell me Mother Nature's cooked up shit like that.”

Alex had drawn closer and was now carefully slipping through the crowd, searching for somebody he could wear- until somebody stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. Alex went rigid, and just barely managed to squash the urge to  _maim_ whoever was closest. He turned around instead, glaring at the Marine that had stopped him.

“What about you?” The man asked. “What do you think?”

Alex blinked for a second, not sure what to say. If he said nothing, they might get suspicious. If he said too much, they might get suspicious too. And he just wanted to grab a tank. He cleared his throat. “What if Blackwatch's behind this shit?” He suggested.

“Blackwatch?”

“Yeah, those spooks. Isn't it a bit convenient that they pop up just in time to stop a full-blown Zombie epidemic?”

Some shrugged. One shook his head. “Nah. I talked to one of 'em. Guy said they got their ear close to the ground. As soon any Zombie freak lifts its head they're there to blow it to bits.”

“And burn the remains”, another added. “Fuck, I've seen them torch buildings full of people.”

“Nasty fucks. But necessary evil- and they have seen some serious shit.” There were a couple of grumbled agreements and the crowd dispersed, the conversation over for now. Alex glanced around, spotting a Marine pretty close to the tanks. That one was his ticket out. He just needed to find a good excuse.

Alex eased closer, made sure nobody watched- and struck. Lightning fast, he closed in on the man, crushed his throat with a single flick of his fingers and dragged him in. _Undiluted Blacklight Biomass_ , Ragland had called it. Eighty more kilograms to help him subdue the still frozen parasite, and a new face and memories to add to his own. Armand Helden was who he was now.

Alex pulled back and headed for their command center. Nobody was inside at the moment, and wouldn't be for the next ten or so minutes. Enough time for him to find Helden's schedules. With a little tweak, he was able to easily copy the handwriting present in this chart and alter the current objective to 'Patrol duty'. Then he left again, told several of the others about the job and got into the tank, telling them he was going to pick up his gunner on the way.

He simply drove off with the Abrams and nobody was any wiser. Alex leaned back and turned back into himself, smirking. Holy shit, that had been easy. These guys seriously had no idea what had happened.

He swiftly pulled in at the loading dock to the morgue and climbed out of the tank, then headed inside the building to get Ragland. The doctor was just busy collecting materials as Alex entered. “I got transportation”, he declared.

“Ah good...just a question: Where exactly are the bodies?”

The younger paused, realizing that he hadn't relayed that information to the doctor. “A base at Harlem”, he explained quickly.

“A military base?”

“Yes” Alex noticed the worried expression on the other man's face. “Don't think about it”, he told him. “I'll figure something out to get you close to those bodies. Let's go.”

“I'm going to regret it”, Ragland moaned, but still followed after Alex. “I feel it in my bones.”

They headed back to the tank, climbed in, and Alex fired up the engine.

“It's going to be a pretty clear shot”, he told the coroner. “Just need to get to Park, then straight to the north and eventually one block further to the West. Easy.”

“I was afraid of that”, Ragland replied dryly. “Just make sure you don't run over people, okay?”

Alex snorted, but adjusted the controls to ease out of the courtyard and onto the streets, taking care not to mess up the civilians around. He wouldn't have to drive like that until he reached the base, though- there were only a few blocks between the secure Blue Zone around the hospital and the Red Zone. Once there, he could and had to speed up to avoid confrontations. Even though Infected usually didn't attack tanks, and Hunters normally lurked around the Hives, it wouldn't hurt to be careful- especially since his powers were restricted and Ragland would be easy prey. That was mainly why he decided to head along the Park Avenue and avoid the Madison as long as possible, since the Mount Sinai Hive was just off that street.

The doctor sighed when they took a turn after passing the under-bridge and continued along the Park Avenue. They were right back inside the Red Zone, and all around them they could see the destruction through the screens. Overturned cars, burning trash, people huddled together, trying to find a secure place- and several Infected that stumbled across the street. Alex didn't bother dodging and simply ran them over. Ragland winced each time one of them met its demise through the tank treads.

Other than that, however, they were silent. Alex noticed the coroner glance at him a few times and open his mouth, but he never said a word and instant tried to- unsuccessfully- turn his attention back to the screens showing the outside.

Alex yanked the controls a bit and dodged a derelict truck that stood across the street, driving across the sidewalk and squashing another four Infected before he went back for the lanes. “What?”

Ragland blinked. “What what?”

“You keep looking at me. And I doubt it's about my driving.”

“You said you worked at Project Blacklight. Do you know what for?”

Alex exhaled slowly. “I can't remember”, he grit out. They passed the Renalia Building at that moment, and he fell silent. It had been his home at some point, but home to who? As far as he had figured out, he had been a violent asshole, overprotective of Dana- right up until he went away and grew distant. After that, he had always been driven and borderline anti-social. He did work for Gentek, the same company that created Blacklight. The virus that got out in Penn Station, killed all of the people there. He had also been paid very well  _and_ had an extremely high security clearance. Not to mention he was one of the few who ever had contact with Elizabeth Greene.

And all of it taken together...he started to dislike the picture he was beginning to draw of himself more and more. Was he really just the convenient scapegoat, just another idiot scientist who loved his work more than what was made from it? Or was he something  _more_ ?

“I can't help but think I know you from somewhere. Can't place _where_ , though”, Ragland pointed out, face creased in concentration. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “Of _course_! You are the kid!”

“?” Alex stared at him.

“Raymond- McMullen- he told me Project Blacklight was stagnating without me around. After the first five or so years, he tried _everything_ to get me back on board. I refused, of course, thought that they'll finally end this thing for _good_.” He scoffed. “And one day he turned up at my work, told me they finally had _replacement_. Somebody better than I had been. Somebody who managed to resurrect the project. That had been you.”

That...had not been what he wanted to hear. Not really. Because if  _he_ was the one that resurrected Project Blacklight, then it meant...

“Fuck”, Alex swore. Ragland jumped at his sudden outburst, eyes wide.

“If _I_ had been the one to save Project Blacklight, then _I_ was the one leading the entire thing”, Alex snarled, tendrils lashing out of his skin. “Meaning, it was _I_ who killed all those people in Penn Station.” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel hard. So _he_ had been who made this thing. Who created a virus that killed five thousand people within minutes.

“Maybe not”, Ragland cut in, arms crossed. “So maybe you were the project leader- but what happened in Penn Station? What if you got into the crossfire because you tried to _stop_ it?”

The younger blinked, staring at the doctor from the corner of his eyes. Ragland fanned his fingers out, palms pointing up. “Assumed that- what if you noticed the virus missing? Figured out who had it, and tried to prevent them from releasing the pathogen? This would place you into Penn Station at the time of the outbreak.”

Huh? He never thought about it from this angle. Would also explain why he was full of bullet holes when he first woke up. Just didn't explain why he got powers and everybody else not.

Alex slowly worked his jaw. “Possibly”, he admitted. It would certainly put some things into perspective.  _If_ it was like Ragland said.

The doctor leaned back, excitement on his face. “I have forgotten how fascinating this job had been. Genetic engineering- I've been looking for cures, you know? Tried to cure whatever disease there was on earth. It had been my dream. That's why I started at Gentek.”

“Just now it's a nightmare”, Alex added dryly.

“It is”, Ragland sighed. “But as far I'm concerned, I'm still doing my job. The cure I'm going to make will help you.” He glared at the younger man. “But I am not doing this from the bottom of my heart. Once that parasite let go of you, your job is to make sure that I will live to see the end of this mess.”

“A life for a life. I promise.”

Alex cut himself off with a wince. The parasite was starting to get active again. Luckily, they were already very close to Base AE-One. He'd just have to disguise and get Ragland in with some sort of excuse-

_Oh_

The base was just in front of them. Absolutely devastated.

Equipment lied strewn about, three damaged trucks and one upturned and broken tank blocked the garage gate. The door hung askew, every window on this side had been broken. The infection had taken over, had ensnared the walls with its corruption.

“Looks like someone got here before us, doc.”

“I see that.” Ragland frowned. “This doesn't seem safe.”

Alex hummed in reply. He put the engine in idle and got up, then carefully peeked out of the hatch, sniffing the air. “It looks safe enough”, he mentioned as soon he dropped back inside. “No Infected around, guess they've left this area alone.”

“Not enough hosts, I assume?”

“Probably.” He shut off the engine and pulled the older man to his feet. “C'mon. If we hurry, we can get out of here quick enough.”

Ragland nodded. “Okay. Quick then.”

Both men climbed out of the tank and headed into the base. It reminded Alex a little of a Hive, but with no victims around, the incubation process had stopped before it could have started. Inside, he spotted signs of a serious fire fight- weapons and crates lied strewn about. Several vehicles in various stages of disrepair still cluttered the wide-open room of what had once been the ambulance garage. A gaping hole was at one of the short sides- a sign that the base had been abandoned.

“There!” Ragland pointed out. Alex noticed the small constructions opposite of the hole. There was a large glass wall, and beyond- something that looked like a medical room. Not unlike Ragland's morgue.

They hurried over there and Alex tested the door. It was locked, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. Luckily, his tendrils still were obeying his will, and it was easy to slip them into the lock and twist it open.

The energy was still on, and this room was slightly cooler than the carpool beyond had been. Stainless steel lockers were at the far hind wall, next to another closed door. Ragland made a beeline for the lockers and pulled one open. A body was inside- littered with black sores and red lines. Alex noticed a few tendrils not unlike his own sticking out of the man's jaw.

“The Penn Station bodies”, he muttered.

“Yes.” Ragland motioned for him to take the body and put it on the examination table, while he put down his bag and withdrew a pair of scrubs and rubber gloves. “I'll take a look at it, get samples.”

“What can I do?”

“Sit down”, the coroner replied. “I can imagine it hadn't been so easy to get the tank, so you can rest for a bit. If I need anything, I'll let you know.”

Alex shrugged and went to lean against the door frame. He made sure to not let the parasite touch any surface as he watched the coroner work. Ragland was methodically, using his recorder to note down any changes, and he was working quickly- but not sloppy. He could appreciate that. Especially when it was to cure him of that parasite.

Or use him and create something that would kill him the next time. Alex frowned and crossed his arms, glaring at the doctor. Did he have a reason to actually  _trust_ the man? Dana had pointed him here, but as far as he knew, Ragland could be working for Blackwatch. Anything he'd done until now could have been to gain his trust.

Like Karen.

But then again, was Blackwatch that desperate to try the same trick twice in a row? He didn't think so. And from what he'd noticed, the doc hadn't been anywhere as nervous as Karen had been.

It was a plunge into the unknown. One Alex did without hesitation. Because he needed the doctor. But he would keep him under observation.

* * *

 

They had been there for the better of an hour, when Alex felt something shift. His head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing. Ragland noticed it too and stared at him.

“What's going on?” He demanded to know.

Alex's reply was cut off by a shrill scream that echoed through the empty building. “Infected”, he growled.

“Holy-”

Alex snorted. “Ignore it”, he told the older man. “I'll deal with it.”

“Are you serious? With the parasite-”

“I know what I'm doing”, he threw in. “I make sure nothing gets to you, but you need to hurry.”

Ragland glanced back at the hole, then Alex. “I'll try my best.”

Alex nodded and left the room, closing the door. He hadn't exactly told the  _truth_ when he had implied he would be able to deal with them- the parasite was aching beneath his skin, scrambling up his senses. But he wasn't going to cower in a corner, and he wasn't going to sacrifice Ragland so he could get away.

He was going to stop these bastards long enough until all of the samples were taken.

How much time did he have to prepare himself, though? Not a lot.

He sprinted over to one of the trucks, hoisted it up and carried it over to the glass wall, placing it in front of it. Then he gathered every crate he could find to pile them up there, and collected as many of the discarded weapons as he could. Grabbing an heavy assault rifle, he stood with his back to the makeshift barricade, glaring as the first Walkers staggered through the rubble.

They too noticed him, and several of them shrieked. The group set into motion, flailing their limbs as they raced towards Alex. Despite moving more or less staggering, they were deceptively fast, able to outrun a normal human with ease.

Too bad for them that Alex wasn't human. Not anymore. He swung his rifle into position and just squeezed the trigger in a fraction of time it would have taken a normal soldier to do so. Unlike the majority of them, however, Alex was content with the manual fire, not the automatic. He was a good shot, and hadn't found a lot of ammunition for this type of weapon, so he could waste too much through pray 'n spray. It did irk him, however, that he didn't had time to prepare the killing field, having been too busy to secure Ragland. A few mines would have vastly increased his defenses. But sadly, this was too late now, and Alex was stuck with putting bullets into the approaching horde.

The normal Infected went down easily enough, but the Walkers were another level entirely. There were several shots to their skulls necessary to kill them, and some of the more bloated ones didn't even stop then. Alex assumed those were already on the way towards growing into Hunters, which made them a lot tougher.

Despite anything, he'd done a valid effort to pick them off, having halved the number of what came rushing towards him- but they were too fast and too numerous. Within moments, they managed to breach his position. Alex snarled and just flipped his rifle, spun around- and crashed the butt into the closest Walker, taking its head right off. The carcass collapsed as Alex let the momentum whirl his body around to smash the already heavily damaged rifle into the next thing. The weapon snapped under the force of the blow, as did the Infected's skull.

Alex didn't think, just dropped the weapon and curled his body, slamming his knuckles together. The resulting shockwave was powerful enough to fling all of the Infected off their feet and kill those within a eight-foot-radius around him, as well as knock back his own barricade and send it reeling into the reinforced glass wall. He heard Ragland's surprised yell, but couldn't bother with him for now.

He realized that the Infected weren't interested in him at all- every single of them raced past him and started clawing at the truck and crates. Trying to get to and kill Ragland. Alex snarled at them with a mixture of rage about possibly losing his ally, and rage about being blatantly ignored. He brought both fists down  _hard_ , shook the entire room and knocked most of them off their feet, stunning the entire crowd for a moment.

A moment he used to grab a grenade launcher, aiming it at the pack as it tried to get up. He squeezed the trigger, watched how the grenade careened through the air- and turned into an extremely destructive ball of fire the next moment. The Infected and Walkers were torn to pieces, parts of their bodies splattered  _everywhere_ .

But the area was clear for a moment.

“Ragland!” Alex bellowed, “You still there?!”

“Yes”, was the hollered answer, “But I still need a few minutes!”

“Hurry up!” He spun around, eyes narrowing on a Hunter and another pack of Infected, “I am running out of explosives!”

He fired another shot into the crowd, rendered most of them to wet stains. Four rounds left. The Hunter was shooting towards him, being the only of them not interested in the human. Alex brought his grenade launcher up, squinted his eyes- and fired another grenade at the exact moment the Hunter opened its maw to roar. The explosion tore its jaw right out its socket and blasted off a good portion of its face. The Hunter crumpled to the ground, unmoving. Alex smirked. Unlike him, who had suffered through a similar injury at the hands of Amanda Hist, the Hunter did not survive.

He still lunged over and punched the floor for good measures again, killing another three Infected with the shockwave and splattering the Hunter's corpse. Alex whirled around, one leg outstretched to scythe-kick another Walker, taking off its head in one motion.

But then the Parasite gave another painful jerk, forcing Alex on one knee with a curse. With one hand, he was clawing at his chest, while the other was still clutching the grenade launcher. Three rounds left, more Infected came through the breach. Alex forced his arm to stop trembling and fired two more grenades, taking out the majority of the pack again.

A Hunter suddenly slammed into him from a blind angle, threw him across the ground. He lost his grenade launcher in the process, though barely managed to climb back to his feet in time. The cancer was thrashing inside his shoulder, eating deeper through him.

“ALEX!!” His attention snapped to the medical room Ragland was in. While he was busy being mauled by the Hunter, more Infected had stormed the building and were now trying to pummel the truck out of their way. They were relentless, and stronger than a normal human, so the vehicle started to cave in, while also getting pushed more and more into the reinforced glass. At this rate, it was going to break.

Alex snarled and instantly pounced off the floor, ignoring the Hunter that tried to jump at him. Instead, he angled his jump so he descended right into the middle of the crowd, crushing three Infected at once. He slammed his knuckles together the next moment, splattered all of them around him and threw the others off-balance. The Hunter lunged at him. Alex ducked to the ground, letting it sail over his head and crash into the wall, before leaping after it. He curled up his body, brought his arms up to shield his face- and slammed into the beast by air-dashing into its back like a cannon ball. It smashed into the wall again, whining, when Alex quickly uncurled and grabbed its skull to violently wrench it back and snap its neck. The Hunter wheezed, but Alex didn't stop pulling until the thing's head came clean off.

He felt the ground tremble, and his eyes narrowed. “Ragland!” He yelled again, “How far are you?!”

The reply was immediate. “Finished!”

“Good!” Alex snorted and threw the Hunter's head at one of the Infected, then proceeded with taking out the remaining ones. “Listen! I'm going to move the barricade- then we have to hurry to the tank and hightail it out of here!”

“I'm not sure-”

“Either you move your ass or I'm leaving you here!”, Alex snapped, already hoisting the truck over his head. More Infected and Walkers were rushing through the hole in the side. Alex simply flung the vehicle at them, the force of the impact squashed all of them and the momentum let the truck continue moving until it slammed hard into the opening, blocking it. Alex still chucked the crates at it, wedging them into the hole as good as somehow possible to buy them as much time as he could.  
“Hurry!”

For his part, the old coroner didn't question or hesitate. He just grabbed his bag and rushed out of the medical room, Alex hot on his heels. He smashed the garage door to bits on the way out, and more or less grabbed Ragland and heaved him up to get him into the tank as fast as possible. The ground was shaking violently now, and Alex paused before he got into the vehicle himself, eyes widening when  _something_ was working to break through the ground from beneath.

“Whoa...this is not good...” He slipped into the Abrams and slammed the hatch shut, then fired up the engine and backed out as fast as possible. The Infected had noticed their escape and came running around the corner of the base, screeching.

Alex ran them over while still in reverse, then shifted to 'drive'. The gears made an unholy clanking noise, but the tank obeyed and lurched to the front. The ground finally shattered and a red snake-like thing rose from the shattered asphalt. It was maybe as long as two buses, with a long, beak-like mouth. Alex didn't care for staying, so he ground down on the gas and raced out of the base's courtyard. He could still hear the snake shriek behind them, but it didn't follow.

Ragland had been rigid until now, though he finally unclenched and sank back in his seat. “Holy Hell...don't make me do this again, son.”

“Yeah. Was no fun to me, either”, Alex replied, but cut himself off with a long moan. He felt the parasite dig through his body, angrily tearing at his flesh and feeding of whatever it managed to get.

“Oh”, Ragland leaned back to catch a better look, eyes concerned. “The parasite-”

“It's acting up, I know.” The younger panted a little, then forced himself to breathe more slowly.

“The stress hadn't been kind to it.”

“I _know_ ”, Alex grit out, then suddenly yanked the controls around as directly in front of him another snake thing broke through the floor, screeching. He managed to dodge it and race past it, but then his tank shook.

“Shit! What the-” He frantically switched through the consoles, realizing that the snake thing had thrown a _car_ at the Abrams in an attempt to stop it.

“These bastards...” He growled. “Doc, hold on to something, this is going to get pretty bumpy.”

“Is it ever easy?” The older questioned, but still braced himself. Another car hit the tank, but other than shaking it violently and making a god-awful noise, nothing happened. Less than a ton, even in motion, wasn't going to interest a sixty-ton-tank, after all. They might have problems opening the hatch after, however.

The engines were howling as the tank raced down the street, tearing groves into the asphalt. Alex didn't bother dodging whatever was in the way, was just focused on  _getting the Hell out_ of the Red Zone. Another two snakes had popped up before them, but by then he had learnt how to identify the tell-tale shaking of the ground and avoid them. A few Hunters and Walkers had tried to chase after them, but quickly gave up their endeavor. Again, this was not Infected behavior- they were more like dogs, having been called back by somebody. Greene?

As they slid around the corner of Park Avenue and managed to run through the under bridge, they finally lost their pursuers. One last snake thing suddenly shot from the ground just in front of the the hospital, screeching at them.

But here, Alex wasn't the only one. He hit the brakes, just in time for two more tanks to slip into view and fire several times at the monstrosity. The snake reeled back, shrieking. A last tank shell knocked it over and it collapsed into the street, dead.

“ _Fuck, Helden!”_ An angry voice demanded through the radio. _“The fuck are those things?”_

Alex glanced at Ragland, then cleared his throat and switched to Helden's voice. “No idea, but they chased after us.”

“ _Just move your ass back to base.”_

“On it.” Alex clicked the radio off. “I'm taking you back to the morgue, then I have to bring the tank back so nobody's going to notice.”

“That was...”, Ragland grasped for words. “Interesting.”

Alex wrenched the hatch open as soon he stopped near the loading dock, taking note of the damage. Nothing bad, but the hatch had been warped and the cannon was crooked. Ragland easily climbed out and dropped to the floor. “Come back as soon you're finished. In a few hours, I'll have an analysis for you.”

He grunted in answer and slipped back inside, carefully easing back into the parking lot to head to the vehicle pool he'd taken the tank from.

With a sigh, he changed back into Helden, wincing at the feeling of his back being eaten from the inside-out. He shut off the engine and headed outside. Nobody looked at him twice, though he did get the odd glance once or twice when his posture wasn't as stable as it should have been when the parasite gave another painful jerk.

And his day got a lot worse the next moment. The few Marines around him uttered a startled yell at the sight, and Alex was pretty damn certain that the parasite had eaten its way to the surface. And then his disguise broke too, twisting his form back into its normal shape.

“Ah, shit.”

He booked it out of there before they even managed to give a cry of alarm. He had no intentions to try fight them here- too close to Ragland, too many soldiers. And the chance that something happened like in the Hive, when the Hunter managed to jump him, was too high for his taste. Infected might lack the weapons necessary to actually harm him, but the Marines certainly did not.

The less footage they had of the parasite actually working was better to him too, to prevent them from trying shit like that again. So he left the men behind, listening to their shouting until they were too far away. Now he had to find a safe place to wait until the uproar had died down, before he could get back to Ragland.

God. He hoped this shit wasn't permanent.

 


	14. Biologica Imperative

 

Ragland sighed and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. They felt dry and itchy, but he had done so many all-nighters he could function on only little sleep. And despite everything, he still hadn't managed to crack this blasted thing.

Blacklight was something else entirely. He just couldn't find a way to work around its defenses and endlessly mutating genome- a trait the parasite was beginning to gain too. This was the reason it was so hard making it let go.

The doctor put his glasses back on and glanced over his shoulder. Alex had returned far later than he'd expected him to, looking even more worn out than he'd did after fighting hordes upon hordes of Infected. Ragland had offered him the couch to sleep on, though he had declined and went for the empty examination table instead. So he was there now, draped over it with his long and gangly form and apparently asleep with his arms beneath his chin. Or as close as he did come to actually sleeping. Ragland didn't know a lot of how Blacklight would change a human host, but when comparing Alex to the normal Infected out there, he was a lot tougher and stronger, even without rest. So maybe it wasn't 'sleeping', but rather a regenerative state.

At least he wasn't hovering and waiting for him to finish his work. He didn't blame him for wanting to finish this as soon as possible, though- the parasite had grown massive within this short time, had taken over most of his shoulder blades and was already continuing to spread over to his neck and lower back. Must have hurt like Hell.

Sometimes he wondered how the kid managed to remain standing with the process having continued on like it did already- and the much smaller version had already rendered him unconscious, after all.

Ragland remembered the shock he experienced when he found him just the night before. Shaking, unresponsive, and infected matter staining the steel sink. Technically, he should have done the smart thing and should have called in Blackwatch, but despite what Alex usually did out there, despite of the lives he took in an effort to stay  _alive_ \- he just couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, this man, who could easily kill him with little more than a thought, trusted in him and his abilities. Betraying this felt entirely wrong and was never something he would seriously contemplate. So Ragland didn't have a lot of chances either way: He couldn't move Alex, but he had locked the morgue down and dumped half a bottle of bleach down the drain before and after cleansing it as much as possible. Too great the danger of an infection.

Though...Bradley had seen a lot in his days with Gentek, and he had seen the first stages of Blacklight he created. What Alex had was  _far_ from it. It boggled Ragland, because  _this_ Blacklight was both- a lot more and a lot  _less_ lethal than what it was supposed to be. He'd seen the reports and he'd seen the bodies from Penn Station. The first release of Blacklight. Five thousand people dead within three minutes. Too effective for a biological weapon, since nobody was left to spread it. Except for one- but ever since the virus had found its host in Alex Mercer, its potential to  _spread_ had been limited on direct touch- and only when the host was  _willing_ it. Quite unusual for an Infected, even a Runner.

He glanced back at the samples he'd taken: Alex's, the Penn Station bodies, the parasite from the first day and the parasite from now. He could already tell the newer sample had evolved a lot more than the older had- and it was almost as adaptive as Blacklight was. Which was worrisome.

There was a shuffle, and a low groan, signaling that Alex was just waking up. Ragland watched him slowly sit up and slide his legs over the edge of the examination table.

“How do you feel?”

“Sore”, was the answer. “Fuck, this thing's getting worse.”

Ragland sighed and got up. “I feared as much.” He moved to get the liquid nitrogen. “Let's go another round with this, stop the growth until you get your cure.”

The younger cocked his head, but hunched his back over to allow for easier access, though the coroner could see the harsh lines on his face and the tense shoulders. Probably because liquid nitrogen burned like Hell. Still, he went willingly through the procedure in a hope to control the parasite slowly eating away his flesh.

However, this time he suddenly jerked to the front with a groan, even before Ragland had doused the growth with the liquid.

“Alex? What is?”

“Something-” He ground out with a pained snarl, “Something's wrong, doc.”

“Wait a moment- I got this.” Ragland held the ladle up, ready to pour its contents over the parasite when Alex suddenly _moved_. He whirled around and shoved _hard_ against Ragland's chest, sending him stumbling back. At the same time, his shoulders simply _exploded_ with a pained shout from him.

Tendrils and spikes, each about as long as an arm lanced forth and speared whatever air they could reach. As Ragland hurled backwards, he noticed that without Alex's reaction, his head would most likely end up impaled- like the tank with the liquid nitrogen was.

The coroner hit the ground hard with a surprised yelp, while Alex more or less collapsed over the examination table, panting through grit teeth as the tendrils pulled back.

“What- what was that?” The older demanded, gingerly climbing back to his feet. The tank with the liquid nitrogen was destroyed, the fluid had sprayed everywhere and was already starting to evaporate.

“That-” Alex grunted, then bit back a groan, “That was a Devastator.”

“Devastator?”

“It's something I developed not too long ago. Feels like a punch to the gut, but pretty effective to clear out whatever's around me.” He inhaled sharply and stood a little straighter. “I recognized the pressure the parasite had going on.”

_Oh._ Ragland rubbed his scalp. “Well...thanks for saving my head there.” He cleared his throat. “Just...what had caused this...attack?”

“Beats me”, Alex replied with a wince. “Felt like this fucker was scared of something. But what...?” Their eyes snapped to the shattered tank at the same time.

“The liquid nitrogen”, Ragland realized.

“It did not want to be frozen again”, Alex added with a dark tone. He locked gazes with the coroner, expression _livid_. “This thing's gaining sentiency.”

_That is really not good._

“What did you learn from the Penn Station bodies?” The younger suddenly demanded with an edge of urge to his tone. Ragland didn't blame him. With the parasite gaining _sentiency_ \- at least enough of it to react to a perceived threat- he just _knew_ that there wasn't so much time left to get it out of him before it could take over all of him. And something that was not as agreeable as Mercer, but with his powers? This was a nightmare.

Hopefully what he discovered would stop this thing. “Well”, the coroner began, “I have bad news and good news.”

“Of _course_ ”, Alex growled under his breath. “What are the bad news?”

Ragland made a face. “Well, the parasite is specially designed to counter Blacklight. Anything Blacklight will try to flush it out will be countered and fended off.”

The younger's face twitched. “You said I can adapt to it-”

“Indeed. Given time, your strain will eventually develop a defense. Time we don't have.” He lifted his finger. “But here are the good news: In the attempt to make something that stops _Blacklight_ , Blackwatch had neglected to count in how the parasite reacts to Redlight.”

A pair of eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean?”

“The parasite is not designed to work on Redlight- Redlight has no way to defend itself against it.” He grabbed a syringe off his desk. “Now, if you'd inject live tissue from the parasite into an Infected, the resulting rejection would instantly kill both. The parasite was _designed_ to weaken you, but whatever hinders you, kills Redlight. So I thought: What if you inject no longer infective tissues?”

Alex cocked his head. “Like vaccines”, he noticed. “Inject the dead matter into a host, let it produce antibodies against it- and consume the antibodies. If the parasite kills Redlight, then the chance is high it will quickly develop a defense against it.”

“Exactly”, Ragland beamed. “You just need to find a host, one genetically most suitable for the parasite, possibly a Hunter. Once you managed to inject the pathogen, the host will develop antibodies. You consume the host, you will gain the antibodies vital for your restoration.” He handed the syringe over. “It should cure you.”

Alex took the offered syringe, albeit slowly. “Yeah”, he muttered, “Where did I hear that before?”

* * *

 

The last time someone promised a cure Alex ended up with a parasite in his back that was feeding off him. He couldn't trust Ragland. He didn't want to. But as his fingers brushed the syringe in his pocket, he felt calmer. Because what he told him made sense. Made more sense than what Karen told him.

He was grasping for straws. He was drowning, and this was his only chance. Would it cure him? Or would it kill him? He wasn't sure. If he didn't do this, then he would never know. Would never know whether Ragland too had betrayed him, or whether he was an ally.

So Alex took the plunge.

He left the hospital and headed to the south. He needed something to check the genetic code of Infected. He knew of only one thing capable of doing this: The Blackhawks employed by Blackwatch sometimes had scanners. Scanners he could use.

He had the knowledge to do so and he had the approximate genetic code from Ragland. Shouldn't be too hard.

That was why he was moving to Midtown East. The military had strong presence there and managed to defend this territory against the infection. There he would get the tech he needed. And the ability to use the tech.

Alex knew he had to hurry. He felt the parasite continuing digging into him, trying to take over as much of his body. Before what? It was sentient, able to react to dangers. But what would happen if he didn't manage to subdue it? Would it continue eating until there was nothing left of him? Or would it simply let go one day and be on its own merry way?

_Hah. As if._

He was going to kill this thing. And he was going to do so as soon as somehow possible.

Below, he heard several people scream, followed by the screech of Infected. Alex paused atop a building, glancing down. Three civilians- two men, one woman- running for their lives. They couldn't know it, but if they continued that way, they would run right into an active Hive.

And...his eyes narrowed. All three of them had scratches of some kind on them. One was staggering dangerously.

It was entirely possible they were already infected, but didn't know it. If they got into safe territories, they would unwittingly spread Redlight further. But at the same time, the Infection hadn't progressed enough for the others to recognize them as kin. They would tear them apart and violently.

He could do this faster and painless. And he needed the Biomass.

Alex jumped off the building and hit the street in front of them. Within the blink of an eye, he lunged to the front and grabbed the first of the three. Without so much as a thought, he utterly crushed the man's neck, killing him. He didn't even know what was going on. The woman had noticed him, tried to stop- but her momentum was too great as she simply collided with Alex's chest as he shot to the front, tendrils unfurling and grabbing her.

The last tried to beg for his life. But he was already dead. The infection was spreading inside of him. Alex ended him too and dragged his body inside as well. The parasite jerked, then grudgingly settled down when three peoples worth of Blacklight rushed through its host's body and pushed the invading tendrils back. Alex didn't bother with their memories, just shoved them to the back of his mind for a later review- if he decided to look at them at all.

He knew what he had just done. He had just killed three  _innocent_ people. He could try to justify it with whatever he wanted- they were possibly in the first stages of the infection; he needed Blacklight Biomass to subdue the parasite; they were going to die either way, he just happened to do it a lot quicker- but in the end, he simply killed three innocent people. And he was going to do so again. And again and again and again- whatever it took him to finish what he started. He could not afford being weak. Not when weakness would get him killed.

And Alex was not going to die.

The parasite was calm for now, though he knew it wouldn't remain that way for long. He had to hurry, get an helicopter equipped with the right technology and find that Hunter. Oh, he also had to figure out how to  _fly_ an helicopter.

At least the last problem would be easily remedied. Alex carefully approached the base near the  _Nash_ and eased along the lowest roof opposite of it, though still hidden from sight. The Supermarket just across the street had been re-purposed for the military's purposes. Mainly Marines, though he would bet that there were some Blackwatch goons inside the command center. 

But they didn't interest him for now- the helicopter and its pilot did. Alex watched the men down there, noticing the single guy wearing a flight suit. He was the pilot he needed, and the chopper next to him was his ticket out. Alex grunted once and quickly headed over the edge to slide down between the buildings and avoid detection. With a mental command, he shifted into the same nondescript Marine he had been just in the morning. He didn't have much time though- he could already feel the parasite squirm beneath his disguise, yearning to break free. He assumed he didn't have more than five minutes maybe.

Luckily though, being in a Blue zone made these guys here a lot more unaware of their surroundings. They didn't even notice him as he moved into the compound, didn't question his lack of weapons, and missing viral scanners made his job a lot easier too. The only limit he had was the time limit, but he would be able to work with this.

Several crates had been stacked up near the single Blackhawk. Alex took a second to check up on the bird. The sensor array on its snout had been altered, that much he could tell. He could refigure it further to find the Hunter he needed.

How much longer did he have? Three more minutes? Two? One? He couldn't tell- didn't know when the parasite was going to break his disguise again. Didn't matter, however. The pilot was walking past the crates Alex was standing between.

Alex moved, closed the distance within the blink of an eye and grabbed the man, pulled him back. Nobody noticed anything. The only sound that could have been heard was a surprised gasp. Nothing more. Three seconds later Captain Marcus Graves stepped out from between the crates.

But it wasn't Captain Marcus Graves. Not anymore. Alex rolled his shoulders and headed over to the Blackhawk. He was about to open the hatch when his first Lieutenant stopped him. Alpough.

Alex glared at the hand on his shoulder, then turned his attention to the man himself. “Sir?”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Alex didn't have time to alter the roster. He had a new disguise, new Biomass to subdue the parasite, but trying to pull off the same trick as he done this morning wouldn't work now. Too far the progress of the parasite.

“Sir, I just got orders from HQ”, he lied. “I am required at Base AE-One.”

“Base AE-One was fucking taken out!” The Lieutenant snapped. “What are you thinking?!”

“Sir, the Orders were for air support.” Alex cocked his head. “Unless you want to take it up to Taggart himself?”

The man deflated notably, letting go of him. “I'm going to contact Taggart immediately. You fucking stay here!” He whirled and marched right out. Alex exhaled, then instantly turned back to the helicopter, slipping inside. He had maybe four to five minutes to get out of reach before his lie would become obvious.

With practiced ease, he switched on the consoles and eased into the pilot's seat.

“Next stop”, he muttered over the roar of the rotor coming to life. “The Red Zone.”

Several Marines had noticed it, were looking confused. Right until the Lieutenant came back, waving his arms and shouting.

Alex scowled. Too fast. He'd been too fast. The radio crackled.  _“What the fuck?! You are going to get court-martialed, captain!!”_

He stared at the radio, fingers flexing. He had enough lift already, could fly off...but the damage was already done. Plus, the parasite was gnawing its way free again.

Alex leaned to the front, flipped the reply button. “A nice idea,  _Lieutenant_ , but aren't you forgetting something?” 

“ _What the-”_

“Your rank means nothing to me”, Alex continued, locking eyes with the man on the outside. “Your men mean nothing. Taggart's word means nothing. I just take whatever I want.” His body erupted into thousands of tendrils that twisted his appearance back into his own. “You are still alive because I _let you._ ” He crushed the radio and pulled the stick up. The Blackhawk jerked up and shot skywards, but even over the howl of the engines he could still hear the alarmed shouts, the demands for heavy support. 

Hah. By the time they had carted the missile launchers here or got the tanks into position, he would be long gone. A few bullets bit into his chopper with a series of metallic  _clangs_ , but they didn't do anything to stop him. Alex pushed the nose down and jerked the controls around, forcing the chopper to roll in mid-air and race over the 39 th Street. He quickly added some height to his altitude and wove his way between the towering buildings to cut any sight contact. With practised ease, he kept one hand to the stick, while the other dug around inside the console, twisting and shifting into a loose collection of tendrils. He found the Blackbox and GPS sender, and crushed both. They shouldn't think it would be easy to find him. He was going to ditch the chopper as soon he had what he wanted, but until then, he was going to do his darnedest to stay undetected.

He leaned back in the pilot's seat, keeping an eye on the surrounding. Beneath his surface, he was downright  _gleeful_ . He was enjoying it. He was going way faster than he would ever be able to move, went way higher, and was truly  _flying_ \- and it was just awesome. Not even the squirming parasite would take this feeling away from him. Once it was gone, he was going to show Blackwatch what it meant to be afraid. Because now he had endless possibilities. Now he could hunt them from  _every_ position. And it brought an excited grin to his face.

* * *

 

Alex had headed more to the south of Manhattan, keeping an eye on the scanner. While heading across the Midtown Red Zone, he had managed to calibrate the scanners to the genetic code best suited for the job. But by then he had to realize how far the Red Zones had spread. Fifty percent of Manhattan was affected. In numbers this meant one and a half  _million_ people. Half of the entire population of Manhattan, infected by Redlight. The sky was deep red, the clouds saturated with airborne virular particles. None of them dangerous, he knew, not to the people. But ghastly, no matter how he looked at it. And with the death that followed these clouds, a truly nightmarish sight to behold. He imagined it played  _Hell_ on whoever was out there.

Alex ground his teeth together, trying to ignore the steadily growing pains in his shoulder. The longer he kept within the Red Zones, the more the parasite was becoming active. Unlike him, it thrived within the infected areas.

There was a blip, and Alex’s attention snapped to the instruments on board. Somewhere, the scanner had picked up the strain he needed. He stopped the chopper and slowly turned back, lowering his altitude as he let the scanner run another time. Another blip, so he moved the Blackhawk there next.

The signal was still weak, and it took him several scans to find it again- but it was there. And it only grew stronger the closer he moved. His knuckles turned white from clutching the control so hard.

_Almost_ . He was almost there.

He had nearly the parasite removed from his person. He was almost free and powerful once more.

_If_ Ragland's idea would work. If it failed, if it was a trap, then Alex would find a way to survive and rip his head off.

The scanner started squealing, so Alex slowed down even more, hovering the Blackhawk over the rooftops somewhere near Lafayette Street as he slowly scanned at a higher frequency. Somewhere around here was the water tower that was incubating the Hunter he needed.

There was something in the corner of his vision and Alex shifted in his seat to get a better look. A series of water towers, but only one was overgrown with Redlight Biomass.

The scanner bliped in confirmation.

“Bingo” Alex swung the chopper to the side and set it down on a roof just to the side, climbing out. He grabbed the syringe inside his pocket harder as he approached the water tower. Almost instantly, he saw the Infection spread across its surface, followed by a dull roar. The presence of Infected nearby sped up the gestation process, he knew- and this time he was triggering this voluntarily. Now that he had found the right Hunter, he wouldn't want to waste any more time sitting around doing nothing.

He stepped back in time when the tower exploded in a cloud of broken wood and bits of metal as the Hunter inside freed itself, roaring. It needed a second to realize that he was not, in fact, one of its siblings, and lunged at him the next moment. Alex easily ducked away, muscles coiling. He needed to weaken this thing enough to inject the altered parasite.

The Hunter roared and swung its meaty arms at him, claws blazing. Alex lunged to the side, rolling over his shoulder to avoid the blow. He waited until the beast lost its momentum, then lunged. The parasite was sapping his strength, so when he bodily collided with the Hunter, he should have snapped an arm or leg. Instead, he only managed to throw it off-balance. The beast snarled and lashed out, but Alex quickly dodged again and got some distance.

He glared at the beast, and the beast glared back, back arched and teeth gnashed. His own body was equally ducked, fingers clenched and knuckles stark white against his already pale skin.

The Hunter moved first, pouncing on him in a powerful leap. Alex stood his ground, shifted his feet slightly- and simply waited. As the beast made contact with him, he took a secure hold of its wrists and let his body fall along with the movement. Without any type of resistance, the Hunter's pounce had too much force, so its own momentum carried it over his head. Alex was still locked to it and easily shot his legs out to kick the Hunter into its belly, changing its trajectory ever so slightly. Now angled downwards, the Hunter hit the roof head-first, roaring enraged. Alex let the motion pull him upright before he finally let go and pounced on the downed beast. He stomped both feet down hard on the Hunter's wrists to pin it. The thing was thrashing beneath him, roaring. It was too strong for him to hold down longer, so Alex ripped the syringe from his jacket and slammed it deep into the Hunter's chest.  _Man, I hope this works_ .

As he pushed the contents into the Hunter's tissue, the beast suddenly shrieked in pain, doubling its efforts to break free. Alex quickly let go of it, but remained nearby as the thing squirmed and struggled back to its feet. Red veins stood stark against its pinkish skin, growing rapidly in an intricate network as its body struggled to adapt to the dead parasite. The Hunter buckled, threw up blood- and then it was moving. Yowling, it lunged off the roof and onto the street below. Alex needed a moment to realize what was going on. And then he got it.

The Hunter was  _fleeing_ , the pain from the parasite overwhelming it just as it did him (and the Hunter was carrying the dead variation)- so it was trying to escape and get somewhere safe.

“Oh Hell no!” Alex sprinted after it, leapt off the building as well and stuck himself as hot on its heels as somehow possible.

Infected roared around him, humans screamed- but he just barreled headlong through any opposition. He was lucky- the parasite was affecting the Hunter much like it affected him- meaning it took its speed and strength. And like him, this thing was driven by the urge to run away and hide, and it easily overruled the need to curl into a ball and heal. It was going to run until it had shaken him. Which meant in return that Alex had to keep on its heels to not lose it.

So he ignored his own parasite and dashed after the Hunter, intending to keep it on its toes. The beast howled as it barreled down the street, tackling cars, Infected and civilians aside like they were nothing. Alex stayed in hot pursuit, racing after the Hunter. He wasn't going to leave it out of his eyes. This was his  _only_ chance to get cured from the parasite. Speaking of which- it was squirming deep in his back, sending ripples of agony shooting through his body with each wriggle. It  _knew_ he was trying to kill it, and he knew it was trying to stop him from doing just that. Alex ground his teeth together, forcing its influence back with sheer stubbornness alone. The parasite wasn't fully formed, wasn't coherent enough to sense more than instincts, but this was already too much for him. He needed it gone, preferably yesterday- and then he was going to find Cross and break him in half for doing that to him.

Then Karen.

The Hunter yowled, drawing his attention. It had stumbled into a group of Marines in its haste to escape its pursuer, who wasted no time shooting at the threat. Alex swore and sped up, slamming into the men with the force of a runaway train. He killed them, quickly consumed several of them to keep his power up, while the Hunter continued fleeing. Alex lunged after it, crashing his weight into it to check up on the process- there were still several red veins around the injection point, but he noticed that those were already fewer. The Hunter was developing antibodies, just like Ragland had said.

Antibodies vital for his own restoration.

He let the Hunter loose again and waited for a few seconds, then continued following after it. The Hunter made another noise, then suddenly lunged to the roofs at Canal Street. Alex was hot on its heels, idly noting that they were now running through Chinatown.

The Hunter was two blocks away from him, so Alex sped up, forcing it to keep running. Somewhere behind his body he heard the distinct roar of more Hunters, and was forced to slow down enough to grab an AC unit off a roof. He jumped, whirled around- and chucked the unit into his pursuer's face. The Hunter that chased after him went down in a tangle of bent metal and snapped bones. The others he could spot wisely kept back, probably confused as to why he was just running past them instead of fighting. The one he was chasing had managed to get some distance and was now scrambling across a police station.

And beyond that- Alex's heart stopped for a split second.

Barbed wire. Helicopters. Gun turrets.

A military base.

And this idiot was running right towards it. Alex swore and sped up, barreling right past the Hunter. This thing was already too close to the base, so he all but threw his weight into it, wrapping his arms around its neck as he bowled the beast over. The Hunter roared and scrabbled against the ground, eventually catching his torso with its claws. Alex gasped and let go of it, bouncing away to clear some distance. The Hunter was clearly pissed, swinging its talons at him. Alex rolled to the side, eying the red veins on its chest.  _Not yet...have to wait for a bit..._

“It’s ZEUS! And there's one of these fucking big animals with him!” Almost instantly, bullets bit into either of them. Alex swore, the Hunter roared enraged. But the process hadn't gone on long enough- if this idiot got itself killed, then Alex would have to set back to zero. He groaned and tackled into the Hunter again, throwing it off balance and to the floor before he flipped over it and grabbed a parked car. He yanked it off the floor, whirled on his heels and just chucked it into the general direction of those asshead Marines. He didn't bother aiming much, he just wanted them to scatter and leave the Hunter alone.

Throwing cars around was obviously  _not_ the best way of negotiation. He had missed all of the guys, but obviously they decided to count it as an aggression, because the next thing he knew was that every damn weapon on this compound was aimed at him. Alex ducked behind his arms as the first volley of bullets drowned out every other noise around. He waited for a few seconds, then propelled himself to the front. He went way too fast for those men to change their target accordingly, and once Alex was upon them, he crouched down and slammed both fists hard into the floor. The guys directly next to him splattered, very much like the Infected back at Base AE-One had done; though the range of destruction was larger. Possibly because humans tended to be a lot squishier than Walkers were.

The sudden demise of a large part of their ground troops gave the others pause as they scrambled back to their feet in a desperate attempt to get some much-needed distance. As if distance would save them from him. Alex bared his teeth at the others and flexed his fingers like he usually did with his claws, trying to intimidate them into giving him more time.

The Hunter had managed to get back to its feet too, and despite there being an already massive pool of blood and organs, it was still trying to maul someone- either the Marines or him.

Alex rolled his eyes, whipped around, and threw a vicious left hook into the Hunter's chest. The beast stumbled back, giving him enough time to jump up and kick his shoes into the same spot as well- the same area he injected the parasite before.

The effect was  _immediate_ . The Hunter reeled back, yowling in pain and flailing its arms. Alex quickly ducked and stepped back, allowed the beast some room to turn away and flee once again. His attention snapped to the Marines who had finally pulled themselves back together. The turrets were next to useless because of his position directly beneath them, and tanks weren't present- which left the ground troops. One of them was calling for a strike team, so this was the one he assaulted next- crushing the man's body beneath his own weight while the others opened fire. Alex arched his back and slammed his knuckles together, creating a powerful shockwave that easily knocked back every single man within a twenty-foot radius.

Then he launched himself off the floor and headed after the Hunter. “You stay alive there, big fella”, he muttered as he threw a scavenged grenade behind his body for it to land besides an ammunition crate. “Then I'll kill you.”

* * *

 

Alex was panting harshly. The Hunter had stopped running and was glaring at him from its position just in front of the Stock Exchange. The chase had led them all the way to Lower Manhattan, to the Infected Zone around Wall Street. It shouldn't have been too far, yet his body was at the verge of simply shutting down. His chest was too tight and his legs felt like they were made of lead. Lead somebody set on fire.

Adrenaline was rushing through his system in large amounts, weakening his immune system- and agitating the parasite. He had thrown up blood twice on the hunt, and nearly passed out once. But he had powered through all of it, had kept on the Hunter's tail even as its speed gradually picked up.

He was regretting it now. His body was shaking from the strain.

And the Hunter he had chased down had finally decided that it was sick from being treated like prey. Alex couldn't see the red veins anywhere on its chest anymore (asides from an angry red rash around the injection side), showing that the thing had successfully beaten the parasite tissue back.

It was ripe for harvesting.

Alex bared his teeth at it as he ducked ever so slightly. His body was still burning and there was transpiration sticking to his surface. His insides felt like they were ash.

His hunt had weakened him, had taken the last out of him- and the Hunter  _knew_ it. The parasite  _knew_ it too, knew what it meant if he managed to consume the Hunter. It didn't wanted to die, so it did its best to sabotage its host. His vision was dangerously fuzzy, and his other senses had been shot right to shit. It was a wonder he managed to remain standing the way he did.

But Alex  _was_ stubborn.

The Hunter reared up and howled out. Calling for help. Several Infected and Walkers, who had been milling about, changed their course and went directly for Alex. Alex snorted and brought his knuckles together, generating a shockwave that knocked all of them back. Then he threw himself at the Hunter.

The beast roared and swung its meaty arms at him, though too slow to actually catch him. Alex coiled his body and air-dashed to the side to grab a secure hold of its wrist. He let momentum carry him over so he could kick both feet into the Hunter's throat. The beast reeled back, snarling- but it wasn't  _enough_ . 

Its free arm came crashing down like a sledgehammer, and its claws tore deep gashes into Alex's chest. The man bit back a pained yell, choked on blood briefly, and instantly let go to hop off and backwards. Out of the Hunter's range.

Something slammed into his back like a tank, and Alex found himself flung to the side like a ragdoll. He barely managed to catch himself and brace himself against the agony as the parasite gave another painful jerk, whirling around and staring at a second Hunter that had snuck up on him. He snarled at it, but his attention flicked back to the one he had chased the entire time. It would be better to consume that one first to fix himself before taking care of the second one, but as long the second was around, he wouldn't get a shot at the first one.

Alex glanced at the second Hunter, then dove to the side as both of them lunged at him at the same time. They barely managed to avoid colliding with each other, but it gave him time to yank a cab off the street. He spun around and threw it at the second Hunter, knocking it off-balance. The other whirled and snarled at him, pouncing off the floor the next moment. He easily rolled out of the way.

The other got back to its feet in that second, so Alex dove towards the massive bronze bull sculpture nearby and grabbed it. He leapt up with it hefted over his head, bringing it down with all his might as the Hunter attempted to jump him. Hunters were sturdy, but not sturdy enough to withstand seven thousand pounds of solid metal slammed into its skull by condensed fury. Its head more or less stopped existing, and its entire upper body was caved in. The bull ended up sticking out of the ground, with the remains of the Hunter gored on its horns.

The Infected came rushing at him once more, so he slammed both fists back into the floor to kill a good portion of them before jumping off and targeting his prey Hunter again. He gave off a short burst of air to change his trajectory and bury his heel into the beast's shoulder. The Hunter growled and lashed out at him, though Alex easily spun to the side and out of range. The parasite squirmed again, nearly causing him to lose his balance. The Hunter shot at him, arms spread wide, though he managed to roll out of the way easily enough.

Then he pounced, jumped at the beast and wrapped his arms tightly around its neck while his knees dug into its shoulder blades. The Hunter roared and started bucking, but Alex held on tight and started to  _pull_ with all his strength. With his knees still pressed firmly into the beast's back and his arms closed around its neck like a collar, he continued to drag its skull towards him while pushing the remaining body down. The Hunter's roars turned more frantic and more breathless and its body started thrashing only more, attempting to shake the smaller one off.

Alex didn't let it.

Pouring all strength he had into his current activity, he pulled back as hard as he could- and was rewarded with the hollow  _crack_ the spine made as it snapped in two. The Hunter managed one pathetic yelp before it went boneless beneath him. He could feel its heart race and saw its chest expand with agonized gulps of air. The parasite was thrashing now, squirming and fighting its host every step. Alex ground his teeth together and let his feeding tendrils slip from his skin, though the ones closest to the parasite were badly damaged, he realized. No matter, in a few moments he would be back to his old self.

Or dead.

That thought made him hesitate for a second, but the burning agony from the parasite was more than enough motivation to proceed.

The Hunter screeched in terror and pain when the tendrils dug into its flesh and instantly got to work. Blacklight flooded through its body, twisting every cell of Redlight into itself. He began consuming the Hunter, even as it fought back and still tried to escape. The parasite too was struggling, trying to make him  _stop_ , but once the process had started, he couldn't stop it. Not even if he wanted to.

And Alex most certainly did  _not_ want to stop.

The Hunter's empty shell collapsed beneath him as Alex bit back a groan. His entire body was vibrating in pain when the parasite fed off the Redlight Biomass- and then it suddenly stopped. Growth spurs changed into panicked flails and Alex could  _feel_ the parasite's growing terror. It was certainly sentient enough to realize that  _something_ had changed.

The Hunter had developed an immunity against the parasite. And Alex had consumed the Hunter, had taken its antibodies for himself. Blacklight was able to fight the parasite even on its own, but with this little additional boost, it never stood a chance. Alex thought he heard it squeal when his own body grabbed it and devoured it, leeching every bit of Biomass it had stolen from him back into his own system.

Or maybe he had heard the Infected instead. Attracted by the noise of battle between him and the Hunters and more interested in him than they were in the Marines just at the other end of Wall Street, hundreds of them surged towards him now.

Alex grunted, but his body still hadn't managed to settle down. It wasn't painful, not as it had been with the parasite, though he didn't manage to call forth any type of weapon. But he was still shifting.

A Walker suddenly latched on him, clawing at his dense Biomass. Three more jumped him before he had time to register what was going on, then two more. Alex felt their blunt nails trying to tear pieces out of him and just rolled his eyes. He was about to brush them off, when his body convulsed once, jerking him into an upright position. His arms snapped to the side and his spine straightened suddenly, the force shaking off the Infected like fleas.

Alex gasped, realizing that his clothes were gone, replaced for something unyielding and hard. For a split moment, he felt trapped within his own body, but that faded as soon he realized he could still move, was still free to do whatever he wanted. His fingers slid over his hood, only to find tough chitinous plates. His face was gone, replaced for more plates, but he didn't panic- not when he could still see, still hear. He dragged his hand away enough for him to stare at it. It was still human, but completely encased in dark, smooth armor. Alex threw a look over his shoulder, stared down his stomach, checked out his feet, and realized that his entire body was now wrapped with armor plates.

And his arm was still quivering. Alex flung it to the side, feeling his body shift and deform, redistribute his weight as his hand turned into a giant  _blade_ the size of his torso. A second, smaller blade jutted out of his elbow the next moment, adding to its overall size to rival his own. He dragged the metal tip over the asphalt, listening to the shriek it made as it dug a deep trench into the ground.

A grin appeared on his face, hidden beneath the armor, as he turned to face the Infected that were still stumbling towards him.

“I'm back!”

 


	15. The Door in the Wall

 

Ragland was bent over the microscope, eyes itching. How long had he been awake anyways? He had no idea, mostly because ever since Alex Mercer, the terrorist of Manhattan and carrier of the strange Blacklight strain, had come to him for his  _help_ , he had been tense. He hadn't known why he went along so willingly with the man. Part of his mind told him that he wasn't to be blamed for what was going on; and another part claimed that he was doing this to spite Gentek and Raymond; maybe it was the part of him that had sworn an oath to help those in need. Another part whispered that he helped the younger man because he felt guilty over his own family, over not having been around as much as he should have; and Alex reminding him too much of his own adult son who he almost never saw anymore, so now he was trying to fix things he had screwed up (on that note, he was glad they were in L.A. at the moment).

For whatever reason, he had went along with the man, had offered his knowledge in return...for what? Security? Knowledge too?

He rubbed at his eyes, sighing. What had he done? If Blackwatch would find out what he had done, then they would come here. Take him into custody. Maybe his family too if he didn't obey.

On the other hand... _did_ they know what had transpired? Ragland could imagine that with all what was going on, with the Infection spreading as fast as it did, Blackwatch was too busy to look at him. He hoped.

With a sigh, he got up and stretched his back, hearing his bones crack as they aligned. Oh Hell, he wasn't getting any younger. Once all of this was over, he was going to move out and find employment in some nice tiny town somewhere. If he was still alive, that was.

There were steps outside. Heavy, with purpose. The coroner went ramrod stiff and turned around, eyes narrow. Somebody was coming, but who? He was pretty sure that most inhabitants and staff had left the hospital, though he was aware that there were some left. Only, those never had a reason to get down here.

Maybe the military? Was the hospital being evacuated?

Or did they figure out what he had been doing here?

The steps halt outside, followed by a set of knuckles rapping against the metal door. Ragland's eyebrows raced up to his receding hairline, because he knew nobody who would knock first. The bright light in here and the lack of light out there made it impossible to tell who came looking for him. He was curious as to who it was, so he threw a glance at his work space to make sure nothing was out of place or looked like he had been treating the most wanted man of Manhattan here, before he called for whoever was on the other side to enter.

As it was, it was the most wanted man of Manhattan himself.

Ragland stiffened first, thinking that he was here for revenge; but then he relaxed when he realized that Alex was looking...well  _healthier_ than he did before. He was still pale, but no longer this paper-like white he'd seen on him before. His stance is stronger, more alive, his eyes alert. Heck, even his  _clothes_ looked less washed out than they had before. And the parasite was gone.

Ragland cleared his throat. “I see it had worked?”

“It did”, Alex replied and somehow he looked glad.

Huh. The coroner leaned back, crossing his arms. “To be honest, I didn't think it would work, or this fast. I mean Blacklight's pretty much uncharted territory.” But it did follow some rules, apparently.

“The idea with the antibodies- it helped”, Alex explained. “The parasite's gone and I got my powers back.”

“Well, that's great to hear-”

“Thank you”

Ragland blinked, staring at Alex. His expression was blank, but the tone in his voice had been genuine. “You saved my life”, he added after a moment. “You wouldn't have needed to- but you did.”

The coroner cleared his throat. “Ah, well...” He didn't really have a reply to that. Why had he done that? A spur of the moment? The oath he had sworn? Scientific interests? He couldn't really tell, didn't know whether it had been the  _right_ thing. As far as he knew, he could have just made everything worse.

Ragland shook his head, grimacing. “No trouble there, Alex”, he said instead, “Just never make me gather samples inside a nest of Infected again; and make sure I live to see the end of this military lockdown.”

“Deal”

“Ah, good to know.” _Just don't stay around, might be a bit too obvious and then they'll come looking._ He noticed the glass vials on his desk. “What am I going to do with those?” Samples of Blacklight, and samples of the parasite- the last bits of it. “Burn them?”

Alex furrowed his brows and went to grab the two vials containing Blacklight. He stared at them, then crushed the glass in his hand to consume the matter within. “Keep the parasite”, he eventually said. “We might need it again.”

Oh. “What for?”

He frowned, his body swaying slightly. “I am not sure yet. But it  _is_ a weapon. One designed to stop  _me_ . Which means it would be powerful enough to do some damage.” His eyes narrowed. “I just don't know yet  _how_ to employ it.” He paused, then muttered under his breath “And if I shove it up Cross's ass.”

Cross? He hadn't heard that name before, but if he had to hazard a guess, he would assume it was the person who managed to implant the parasite in the first place.

Ragland inclined his head. “And now? You have your powers back, won't need me anymore. What are you going to do?”

Alex was silent for a moment, and his expression changed. “Now I'm going to leave you”, he said. “It is not safe if I stick around. Blackwatch might notice. I'll keep an eye on you from a distance though, fulfill my side of the bargain.” He went to the door, but stopped before walking out. “First though I have to fix something I fucked up.”

Then he was gone. Ragland's eyebrows were level with his hairline. It had worked. He had cracked something Gentek created with several highly intelligent scientists all on his own. It should be something to be proud about- and he was. In a way. But he had also given the most powerful Infected out there his powers back. He just hoped he hadn't done something unspeakable.

* * *

 

Alex had never felt this good before. The parasite was gone, and he had gained two new powers: Armor and Blade.

He didn't have had any real chance to test these new powers out, having merely fought off whatever Walker or soldier had tried to take him out before he returned to Ragland after circling through his other abilities to make sure he had them back. He had, and they came back to him without a hiccup.

But asides from that, he hadn't checked up on his new powers any more. Thanking the coroner was a lot more important to him than enjoying his newly found freedom. Without Ragland, he wouldn't have had anything at all and would have most likely passed out somewhere again while the parasite would have continued to grow.

Now, however, he had to fix the other thing. It crawled beneath his skin, stirring in his chest. Something was clenching painfully inside, was making a leap each time he hit a building or a street. And it only grew worse the closer he came towards Hell's Kitchen.

He knew what it was, though.  _Fear_ .

Alex was simply afraid.

Of Dana.

It was ironic, really. He, who managed to fight Blackwatch, Infected, Hunters; who could flatten tanks and throw helicopters; who survived being tagged with a parasite that was eating him alive; and who was afraid of his powerless younger sister.

Well...if he thought about it, it wasn't so much  _Dana_ he was scared of, it was her  _rejection_ . After Karen- all Alex had left was Dana. He didn't want her to live in terror from him. She better should, he knew, but he just didn't  _want_ her to. But how was he supposed to face her? 'Sorry I murder and consume people mainly for their knowledge, but they deserve every bit I do to them' probably wasn't going to cut it. What was left there instead?

Alex knew he couldn't  _stop_ , knew that he would have to continue consuming prey like them to keep his body working. He hadn't eaten yet, wasn't sure in how far  _food_ was going to help him, but seeing how he infected his victims with his strain of Blacklight to take them in instead of  _eating_ (according to Ragland), meant that processed food was very low on the list of consumable objects. It was his nature now, but how could he tell this to Dana? 

She deserved better, not him-  _better_ . At the moment, however, he was all she had left, much like she was all he had left. They needed to stick together. And for this, he was going to try and fix what he had screwed up. He had to  _try_ , but finding out that your only sibling was infected with a man-eating highly lethal virus  _was_ a very big pill to swallow. He didn't know  _whether_ he could fix it. But for their sake, he had to try.

If she didn't want to see him again- and that made his chest even tighter- then he would have to respect her wishes. He was going to make sure she wouldn't see him again, though keep watching over her until he knew she was safe.

But that was a bridge he was going to cross once he got to it.

He set down on her roof gently, but paused and looked down to the streets with a snarl. The Red Zone had reached Hell's Kitchen. While not as bad as Harlem or the Eastside, the implications were clear: It was getting too dangerous here. While the fleshy matter was still missing, there were already some Infected stumbling through the streets. What was left of the population had already fled, or was hiding within their own homes. It was better than trying to brave the streets, but Alex was aware that the Infection was going to reach all of them sooner or later. He needed to get Dana out of here. Maybe to Ragland? Would make watching over them easier.

He shoved the roof entrance open and headed into the empty hallway. Nobody around, but he could hear hushed voices in the building. And he could smell Redlight trying to make its way inside. He stopped in front of Dana's door, unwilling to take the key and open it. He didn't know what was awaiting him on the other side, and the panic around him made it hard to focus on something as subtle as an heartbeat.

He altered his sight, shifting into thermal vision. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed an orange glowing, small figure at the other side

_Dana_

Alex's hand froze on the doorknob. She was there. She was  _there_ . It calmed him down somewhat, because she hadn't run away and tried to brave the city on her own; but also sent another surge of anxiety through him. What was he supposed to say? What could he do? What was he going to do if Dana didn't want to ever see him again?

There  _was_ a way to find out. He just had to  _do_ . 

With a wince, he plucked the key from his pocket and shoved it into the lock, twisting it until the obstacle popped open. He heard the sharp intake of breath as Dana's body became rigid, he heard the increase in her heartbeat.

“Dana?” His voice was thin, weak. Almost shaking. He was _scared_ of her reaction. “I'm back.”

Her heart skipped several beats, and her reply was equally thin and weak. “Hi, Alex.”

She was  _talking_ . Not screaming, or cursing- talking. Everything else he would have been able to deal with a lot easier, but Dana  _talking_ was a whole lot more important than anything else.

“You're looking better”, she mentioned. She wrung her fingers together. “So, what did Ragland have to say?”

There was something heavy in her tone, but she was trying to work around it. “He couldn't get me to McMullen”, Alex replied before he could think of it. There was a fearful glint in Dana's eyes, one that told him he was about to fuck up again, so he hurried to explain. “But he helped me. Fixed me. Gave me back my powers. He's a good man.”

“Oh”, her expression turned less guarded. “That's...that's good to hear.”

His heart stopped for a moment, and his shoulders dropped. Because she was still terrified of him. “Dana”, he muttered, “I am so sorry. I didn't know how to tell you.”  _I didn't know how to tell you that I eat people alive, then wear their faces like a cheap mask._ “I need to know  _why_ .” He added after a moment as she turned her head away. “They made me this way. Accident or not- I need to understand.” _And killing them, consuming them, isn't what I really want to do. But it is necessary. I have to do this._

Dana exhaled, then locked her gaze with his. “It's alright, Alex. It's fine.” She grimaced, briefly, before correcting herself. “No. Actually it's not. You  _eat_ people for their faces  _and_ brains. That's a pretty big thing to deal with.” Alex made a face, but then her hand was on his wrist, stopping him from pulling away. Her eyes were terrified, but warm. “But I understand it hadn't been  _your_ choice. Gentek did this to you. Made you into something that crawled straight out of  _Hellboy_ .” Her thumb swished over his sleeve and she noticed his face twitch. “Look, no matter what- you are still my brother.”

Suddenly, she let go of his arm and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest. “Don't you ever forget that, Alex. We are in this together, and it needs a  _lot_ more than you just turning into an unstoppable weapon of mass destruction to make me leave you.”

Alex hesitated for a moment, before he brought his arms around her shoulders too, just holding her. He felt like a massive weight had fallen off his shoulders. She still trusted him, she still wanted him in her life. His worries were ill-founded. She still wanted him for who he was, and even after what she'd seen, she still did so.

He had killed, innocent and guilty alike- yet Dana remained at his side. That thought was soothing in more ways than one, and Alex relaxed a bit, pulling her closer and dropping his chin on her head. They were still a team. Still a family.

His back bristled. Alex immediately went rigid, eyes narrowing as he slowly let go of Dana. He felt her shift, but his attention wasn't on her. Something...something was  _off_ .

“Alex?” Something scratched against...the building? He frowned and flared his nostrils, sniffing the air. The Infection was ever-present, but something did not sit right with him.

“What is it?” Dana asked again.

“Shh. Wait...hold on.” Alex inclined his head, trying to listen. He heard something...the Infected outside? No. It was louder...but at the same time more...muffled? Whatever it was...it was coming closer.

Then suddenly the wall exploded.

* * *

 

Dust and rubble was obstructing the view, and for a split second Alex wasn't even aware of  _where_ he was. Then he remembered, and cold panic flooded through his body. Dana. He had been with Dana.

And somebody had blown up the wall.

He heard her  _scream_ .

Alex was on his feet in an instant, terror and rage mingling with each other. Somebody had dared to attack them. Somebody had dared to  _hurt Dana_ .

It wasn't Blackwatch, as he first thought. It was  _bigger_ .

Through the veil of dust Alex saw  _it_ . A Hunter, but unlike anything he'd seen before.

It was huge, easily twice the size of a normal Hunter- its back was scraping along the ceiling, knocking the lamp away. Its skin was dark gray instead of pink, its muscles were a lot more massive, its jaws were huge and filled with razor-sharp teeth. It snarled, then shifted its position and roared at Alex. Alex ducked and flicked his claws out, hissing back-

And then he noticed Dana. Dana, who was held inside the thing's claw. She was screaming, kicking, trying to pry the thing's hand open to free herself.

Alex froze in terror.

This thing was  _holding Dana_ . He had seen it often- Hunters grabbed humans and  _ate_ them. It was going to  _kill Dana!_

He roared out and lunged at the beast, only for it to effortlessly smack him aside and send him careening into the opposite wall. It suddenly turned and pounced out of the hole it had torn. Alex was on its heels in an instant, claws blazing. “DANA!!”

The thing hit the ground hard, using its free hand to catch itself, while Dana's cry pitched from the sudden force of impact. Alex slammed into the street the very second the thing pushed off and lunged to the front.

“ALEX!!”

“DANA!!” He charged after the Hunter, street cracking beneath his feet as he pushed himself to the highest speed possible. He could hear her, screaming, pleading, begging- _terrified_. It had Dana. It had Dana. He couldn't let it have her.

The Hunter changed course suddenly, jumped to the side and easily leapt across a five-story building. Alex hot on its heels, while his brain was frantically screaming at him to do  _something_ . He had to get Dana, had to get her back- before that thing hurt her.

The Hunter easily bounced off the building and was now back in the streets, barreling its way towards Times Square. Alex snarled and burst off the ground, angling his body to catapult himself into the beast's back. The Hunter stumbled from the force of the impact, stopping for a moment. Alex instantly clawed his way to its shoulder, talons digging deep into its flesh as he tried to desperately rip through its muscles to free Dana. The Hunter swung around, effortlessly shaking the smaller man and slamming its massive talons deep into his chest, tearing through bones, muscles and organs with ease.

Alex saw Dana's eyes widen in the split second it took for the Hunter to finish what it was doing- namely completely ruining his torso. He gasped and stumbled back, blood and fleshy tissues splattering to the street beneath him. Ruined lungs tried to suck in air, a shredded heart tried to pulse against the agony. From the feeling, he guessed that most of his ribcage was gone.

“ALEX!” Dana's shriek was pitched and panicking, and for a moment Alex wondered _why_ , because it didn't sound like she was terrified for herself, but rather him. Then he realized that he was currently in the middle of Times Square with his chest torn wide open and his organs a mess around his feet.

But much like the shotgun shot to his skull back during the fight with Cross, missing vital organs did not stop him or slow him down much. Alex's lips peeled away in a snarl as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He forced himself to move, tendrils weaving under his flesh as they first fixed his heart and lungs, then set out to close the gaping hole in his chest. The Hunter had already continued to run, accompanied by Dana's pitched cries; and Alex instantly ran after it. His body was feeling like it was on fire, but that sensation was quickly smothered the more his chest repaired itself. Eight yards down the street, and the agony had faded into a distant throbbing. Replaced for a white-hot surge of  _rage_ .

“Let go!” Dana shouted again, choking with sobs. “Let go, damnit!”

Growling, he threw himself at the Hunter again shortly before it managed to reach Central Park. His claws bit into its thick skin hard enough to make it stop and buck up. He caught a glimpse of Dana's startled expression, then it vanished from his view again as the Hunter leaned over her and just kicked off the ground, jumping high into the air and right over Central Park. Alex dug his talons deeper, then forced his body to give off a burst of air, changing the Hunter's trajectory while at it with it. The Hunter roared again and its jaws snapped shut just in front of Alex's face. He needed a moment to register that it was, in fact, a  _second_ maw at the back of the thing's skull.

Scary to a normal human being, maybe, but to Alex it was just another foe he had to kill.

Both of them crashed into the grassy ground just to the side of the Center Drive, the Hunter nearly on top of Alex, who just barely managed to scrabble out of its way. Downed like it was, the Hunter still managed to clutch onto Dana. Alex swore and rushed to her, talons ripping at the thing's hide in a feeble attempt to cut her free. He didn't dare using the Blade, out of fear of hurting Dana.

The Hunter was moving before he could brace himself, long legs kicking out to send him flailing backwards into several trees. They splintered in a cacophony of cracking wood and snapping branches, and the foliage took his sight for a moment. Alex snarled and easily wrestled free, but by then the Hunter was already shooting across the tree line and northwards. All he heard however, were Dana's panicked screams and swears as he set after it. It made him furious and terrified at the same time. The Hunter hadn't hurt her until now, but he also hadn't managed to free her. He had no idea  _how_ he was supposed to stop the Hunter, or get it to drop her. If he tripped it again, chances were it would fall on Dana and crush her. If he tried to assault it outright, then  _he_ could hurt or kill Dana accidentally. And he could not stomach the thought. And everything else? Tanks? Helicopters? Weapons? All useless!

All of them could hit Dana on accident, end her life. And Alex was frozen in panic at that thought. He was so powerful, so strong, but all meant  _nothing_ . It was like the damn parasite all over again, gnawing and biting and ripping into his core, and this time there was no Ragland to help him. Because nobody could help him. He was helpless, defenseless, reduced to running after the thing that took Dana because he could not stop it without harming her.

He  _hated_ it. Hated feeling so helpless. He wanted to tear this thing to shreds for what it had done.

He heard her sob. “Alexxxx! I'm scared!”

His arms bristled and his left claw shrunk back, nails shortening and tendrils squirming until they turned into a coiled mass. Just as they were crossing from the Central Park into the Red Zone in Harlem, he pulled it back, tensing the muscles inside- then shot out the Whipfist with lethal speed. It sliced through the Hunter's left tendon, making it stumble and slow down. Alex snarled and lunged at it, but the beast easily swung around and swung its giant claw at him. This time, however, Alex was more than ready. With little more than a mental command, his claws and spikes vanished, his muscles bulged up when he shifted to the Musclemass. In the same moment, his skin and clothes were replaced for pitch-black armor that swallowed every weak point and made him a fortress. The Hunter's strike still jarred his entire frame and his shell creaked in protest, but Alex remained standing- and more importantly, unharmed.

“GIVE HER BACK!” He roared, throwing a violent uppercut into its jaws. The Hunter's head snapped back and it reared up howling, claws loosing slightly around Dana. Alex instantly made a grab for his sister, armored fingers tightening around the Hunter's digits in an attempt to simply break them off. 

The Hunter's free claw came down suddenly, forcing him to bring at least one arm up to protect his skull. Then the Hunter roared out.

Alex snarled in reply, jerking his arm up to get the thing to back off. That was when Dana's eyes widened and she momentarily stopped struggling.

“Alex!” She managed to bite out in warning, seconds before something hit him with the power of a tank and send him sliding across the ground. He whirled around, eyes narrow behind his faceplate at the sight of six normal Hunters that crowded around the big one. Alex gnashed his teeth together and flexed his arm, sending Biomass through it to shape it into his Blade.

The first Hunter lunged at him before he was finished. Too bad he wasn't wasting time either. He threw his free arm up, still bulged up with the Musclemass, and whacked the Hunter hard into its face. The force of the impact shattered its jaw and broke several teeth, getting it off balance long enough for him to bring his Blade into position. When the beast got its bearings back together, Alex swung his sword-like limb and sliced it in a wide arc. His Claws barely managed to nick a Hunter. His Blade whistled right through its shoulder and halfway through its ribcage. The Hunter reeled back, gargling and yowling in pain when Alex swiftly brought the weapon back up and slammed it with more force than necessary through the Hunter's throat and into its skull, exiting on the other side.

He instantly yanked the weapon back and charged the remaining five, dropping the carcass to the floor. Within two steps he realized that his Armor was restraining his movement and cut his speed. It didn't matter, however, as the shell easily absorbed another blow from a Hunter, snapping its wrist instead of Alex's flesh. He spun in place and let the Blade cut in a full circle, gutting two Hunters at once and slicing deep into another. One reeled over, dead, the other two stumbled back injured. Alex grunted and kicked off the floor, jumping over the other two Hunters to get to the big one holding Dana. But the armor hampered his agility too- his jump wasn't as high as it usually was and one of the two Hunters lunged up to intercept him. He managed to avoid it by air-dashing to the side, but it threw him off course from his intended target.

With a snarl, he instantly switched his aim and brought his Blade up, still in mid-air. The shift of his center of balance flipped him over so his weapon was beneath his body. Gravity and his own weight did the rest, and he dropped downwards like a Guillotine. The Hunter beneath was chopped to pieces.

“ALEX!!” Alex's head snapped to the side to witness the big Hunter jump off the street and continue his escape as soon its tendons had grown back together.

“Get back here!” Alex hollered and set after it, but the remaining four Hunters leapt at Alex then, trying to stop him. He swore and effortlessly chopped them up too, but it cost him too much time. Even as he chased after it as soon he was finished, pulling back the Armor and the Blade in the process, he was already too far behind. 

“HELP ME!” He ground his teeth together and pushed himself to go faster, hunting after the beast as it easily leapt between towering buildings. Gliding allowed him to go faster and catch up to the bastard, but then it suddenly changed its course and headed back to the south. He skidded a bit, but managed to catch himself and continue to go after it. The Hunter was roaring, and Infected flooded the streets, throwing themselves into his way. Alex growled and plowed them out of his path, but was forced to go slightly slower due to them trying to grab him each time he hit the street to push off and resume his gliding. He shifted his trajectory and hit a building's facade, sprinting along there to avoid the Infected.

“Let go!!” Dana wailed again, trying to free herself. He could see her feet kick wildly in attempts to break the beast's hold. Alex rocketed off the building he was on and slammed into the big Hunter again, throwing it off balance once more. The thing hit the street hard, but was back on its feet entirely too fast, snarling.

That was when the  _shooting_ started. Alex whirled around startled, eyes widening at the sight of several Marines just at the other end of the street. And a Military Base just behind them.

“ZEUS has breached the perimeters!” Somebody shouted. “Get a strike team here a.s.a.p!”

_What?! No!_

The Hunter roared and dove at the Marines, though Alex barely managed to intercept it and throw it off course. Away from the humans. And away from the guns. “Stop this!” He barked at the men while his arms twisted into his claws. “You will shoot her!”

The Hunter seized the possibility to swipe at Alex again, tearing through his spine and back and making him stumble to the front. One of the Marines fired a missile right into his face at that moment, drowning his world with fire and pain.

“ALEX!! God damnit, let go!!” Dana kicked at the beast again, voice choked with tears. “Alex!”

He gasped when his lungs and body repaired themselves, then noticed three more guys aiming launchers at them. He instantly shoved one claw into the ground and speared the men with a cluster of Groundspikes, killing them and forcing the others to back off.

The Hunter used this moment to charge right through the base. Alex swore and yanked his claw free, then set after it. He shoved Marines asides and jumped over the tanks there, shouting.

“DANA!”

He dove to the side and rolled over the ground, avoiding another missile that was hissing into his direction. It exploded against a building's facade, while he sped up and tried to catch up to the bastard that took his sister.

A pair of Apaches swooped down in that moment, spewing high density bullets. The Hunter managed to avoid them, as it was not the target. With another curse on his lips, Alex hurled his body at the closest chopper, claws melting back to his solid Hammerfists. He completely obliterated the first Apache with a single swing, then dashed through the resulting inferno to try and catch up with the Hunter.

“ALEX! HELP ME!” There was already a rasp to Dana's voice from screaming so much. Alex swore and quickly shifted to his Whipfist. He shot it at the Hunter and actually managed to dig it into its shoulder. The beast instantly bucked up and roared again, and Alex hit the ground with both feet, tearing groves as he tried to stop it from running. The Hunter obviously did not care as it leapt over another street and landed smack inside a construction site, dragging him along.

Metal buckled underneath him as he crashed into one of the steel beams, but Alex instantly grabbed the metal and anchored himself there with his talons. His Whipfist dug deeper into the Hunter's shoulder, even as it strained under the extreme tension. Alex snarled and leaned back, his muscles constricting as tendrils rose from his flesh and wrapped around the steel beam he was holding onto, freeing his other hand to grab the base of his Whipfist and drag it towards him. Trying to reel the beast in. The smooth concrete and metal offered only little hold for the Hunter, and even though it was struggling against him, Alex threw all strength he had into what he was doing. The Hunter slid backwards, roaring and yowling as it lost its hold.

“ _Tornado One to Marines. Target's marked. Go heavy, repeat, heavy.”_

Alex didn't even have time to register what he heard from the static screech of some radio nearby. Not as the remaining Apache suddenly pulled away at the sound of fighter jets arriving.

All he was aware of then was the roar of missiles and the shriek of metal as a tactical air strike completely obliterated the building he was on.

* * *

 

It was deep in the night and the military had gathered around the destroyed construction site. Massive flood lights threw sharp shadows over the shattered remains of the latest project in Manhattan. Marines were busy clearing away the broken steel beams and concrete shards, while Blackwatch set up scanners to make sure the infection wouldn't disturb them.

The rubble suddenly shook, and several men stepped back with frowns on their faces. Nothing moved, and the scanners still showed green, so they got back to work.

Until the rubble shook again, this time more violently. The scanners suddenly switched to yellow, seconds before they all screamed  _red_ .

The rubble exploded into every direction and story-tall black spears shot from the destruction, tearing whatever was left to bits. Tentacles grabbed and chucked junk at random, forcing the men on site to duck behind cover.

Then, ZEUS rose to its full height, shadows rushing over its form as it stood there, hunched over and panting heavily. Lips pulled away from teeth in an enraged snarl before its body snapped back and it  _howled_ at the night sky. 

“DANAAAAA!!”

 


	16. First and Last Things

 

Ragland hadn't left his morgue for too long. He had slept soundly on the couch in his office, then had walked to the wash room at the end of the hallway to get showered. He had been gone for maybe fifteen minutes, but when he returned the door was wide open. Stretchers stood askew. His desk was messy, the computer and microscope having been displaced. Paper was scattered around.

It looked like a tornado had went through here.

The coroner swallowed, looking for anything he might use as weapon as he carefully stepped inside. There was a sudden noise, sharp and loud like the snort of a  _really_ big dog, making Ragland freeze. A second later, it was followed by a pitched voice. “Ragland?”

It took him a moment to place it, because the tone was a mixture between terrified and frantic, different to what he heard before. “Alex?”

Like a shadow, the man in question suddenly materialized right next to the steel lockers. Ragland actually stepped back in surprise (maybe shock). Alex looked...almost hysterical. His hood was gone from his head and his hair stuck in wild angles from his head, as if he kept running his hand through it. His eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other, and his facial muscles were twitching. Ragland was alarmed. Something had occurred. Something that didn't sit well with the younger man.

“Alex...what happened?”

Alex froze for a second before his expression turned even more hunted, if possible. “They took her”, he said and there was a barely noticeable tremor in his voice. Suddenly he was pacing, voice agitated. “Fuck”, he bit out. “I led them directly to her. Now she's gone and it's  _my fucking fault_ !”

Ragland was missing the big picture. “Alex-  _Who_ took  _whom_ ?”

If he thought that maybe this would snap him to clarity, he was sorely mistaken. Because the man slapped his flat hands down onto the examination table, leaving dents; then baring his teeth. “Dana!” He snapped as if that would explain everything. “Greene took Dana!” Ragland was about to ask who Dana was (or Greene, for that matters), when Alex continued to ramble. “I chased after that bastard, tried  _everything_ to stop it without harming her- but it lured me into open territory. And Blackwatch stopped me from getting Dana back.” His snarl became more prominent. “I destroyed three of their bases  _and_ eight Hives, but I couldn't find her anywhere!”

Suddenly he more or less collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut. Groaning, he dropped his head into his hands. “She's gone, Ragland. She's gone and I let them take her!”

It finally dawned on Ragland who he meant with 'they'. “The Infected”, he gasped, “They kidnapped this...Dana?”

There was a flash of pain on Alex's face for the second he was looking at him. “My sister”, he mumbled. “She's all I have left.”

_Oh_

Ragland felt something cold slide down his spine as his fingers wrung together. “Alex...” The younger's shoulders tensed, so he was listening. “I'm not sure how to say this”, the coroner struggled for words, “But if Infected took her, then chances are-”

“No!” Alex bit out suddenly, eyes flashing as darkness skipped over his shoulders and arms, twisting them into giant claws. “She is not dead”, he hissed. To Ragland, it sounded like he was trying to deny the inevitable.

He lifted his hands, trying to ignore the massive talons the younger had sprouted. “Look-”

“ _No_!” Alex snarled again, harsher this time. “She's still _alive._ ”

Ragland arched his eyebrows. “Why?” He asked simply. “You should know better than anyone else that once Redlight gets its hooks into someone, they are gone.”

The younger ground his teeth together and curled his talons into fists. “She  _can not_ be dead!” He bit out. Then his jaw suddenly went slack when his eyes turned sharp. It was easy seeing his brain starting to work. “Because it wouldn't have made  _sense_ ”, he added after a second.

“Oh?” Ragland leaned back, watching the tension bleed out of Alex. Most of the raw panic was gone, replaced for confusion.

“Why would an Hunter smash its way into our safehouse and grab Dana?” The younger questioned. “Why would it run through half of the city, trying to shake me- if it was going to kill her?” He was pacing again, one talon cradled against his chin. “The entire time- the Hunter was running from me. Not _once_ it attacked on its own, just reacted when I did. But it tried to shake me. It sicced Infected and other Hunters on my ass, it lured me right into a military base. But not once it dropped her.”

“Because...”, Ragland frowned, “Because it wanted to _kidnap_ your sister?”

“ _Exactly_ ”, Alex's expression twisted. “But what for?”

“A trap”, the coroner mentioned. “She's bait for a trap.” He frowned, then shook his head. “But these Infected are animals, Alex. They lack the cognitive abilities, not to mention the insight, to create a trap.”

“Maybe. But there is something behind them. Guiding them. Leading them. Telling them what to do.” His eyes darkened. “Elizabeth Greene.”

Ragland cleared his throat. “And who is she?”

“The original Runner. The _source_ of Redlight”, Alex explained. “She controls the Infected.” He paused, brows drawn together. “But _how_? She has never been near them. Was always hidden- and I seriously doubt these bastards know how to work a radio...so _how_ does she tell them what to do?”

“A Hive Mind”, Ragland pointed out. Alex made a confused noise and blinked at him, not understanding.

“Like ants, or bees”, the older explained. “You said the Infected were controlled by this Greene, correct? Just like some insects are controlled by their queen.” He spread his arms. “The exact process is still not understood, but the drones do whatever needs to be done. Some believe the queen gives them orders- it is called 'Hive Mind'. And it seems Redlight has one too.”

The understanding dawned quickly on Alex's face. “If I could manage to get into the Hive Mind-”

“You could figure out where Dana is.” The coroner furrowed his brows. “But...I am not sure you're going to find her _alive_.”

“She is still alive”, Alex snapped, teeth bared once more and expression downright _murderous_. Ragland was quick to lift his hands and try to calm him down.

“I'm sorry for not sharing your optimism, Alex, but I really can not imagine why this...Elizabeth Greene should keep your sister alive.” He sighed. “And I'm not too sure I am suited to help you. I am just an old man, you know?”

Alex glared at him, though the tension left his frame quickly enough. “I know”, he said, and his voice sounded dead. “I wouldn't force you to go out there. I just...” He exhaled. “After the Hunter shook me, after I freed myself from the rubble I was buried beneath- I tried to find her track again. But I didn't. So I just took out my anger on everything. Blackwatch, the Marines, the Infected...” He paused, and his voice faded out some more. “Nothing helped. In the end, Dana was still gone and I...”

“You panicked”, Ragland finished what he left unsaid. “So you came here because I helped you last time.” He sat down on his chair, folding his hands. “But I can't help you with this.”

The expression he got as an answer looked surprisingly similar to a kicked puppy. Which was strange considering the man who was currently looking at him was able to tear through solid steel and murder dozens of enemies in a single swing.

And Ragland realized that Alex was grasping for straws. Very much like what led him to him in the first place. Desperation, knowing no way out.  _When did I become a psychologist?_

“Alex” He said, “I want you to take a deep breath now.”

“What?”

“Alex”, Ragland's voice was a bit firmer now. “I know that this is hard on you, but panicking won't help you or Dana.” _If she is even still alive_. “You are smart, but you are currently too consumed by fear to think clearly. So I want you to calm down. Then we can try to figure out how to go from here.”

He actually relented after a few tense moments, sitting down on the edge of the examination table, eying him. Ragland exhaled, calming his raging nerves. He knew perfectly well that if Alex would react poorly, he'd have no chance to escape, much less fighting back. However, he also assumed that the other man held enough respect for him to curb in his violent tendencies. He had cured him of that parasite, after all.

He steepled his fingers and cleared his throat, hoping to God he didn't sound like a shrink. “Tell me, what do you know about this Hunter that took Dana?”

Alex's eyes flashed, glowing more silver than blue. His back bristled, and Ragland saw his claws flex. He very obviously did not like being reminded of what had happened.

“Tell me”, he urged.

“It was big”, Alex grit out in clipped words. “Larger than a normal Hunter. More muscles. Longer claws. Two mouths, too. Faster. Way stronger.” His paw moved to his chest with a brief grimace. “Tore my torso apart like it was made of wet paper. Hurt like a bitch.”

Ragland furrowed his brows. So this particular Hunter was stronger than the others. He inclined his head. “You said it 'sicced Infected' on you.”

Alex snorted. “It did. I don't know how, but when I managed to cripple it for a brief moment, it called six normal Hunters to its side. I had to kill them first, before I could go after the big guy.”

The coroner nodded, thinking for a moment. “A variation of the species, then?” He paused again, shaking his head. “No, not just a variation.” He pointed at the younger. “The other Hunters took orders from it, came to its aid to fight you off. In a way, it acted like a captain or commander to the Infection.”

“A Leader Hunter”, Alex realized, eyes narrowing. “And leaders have access to the more important areas.”

“Exactly. When you find a Leader, and consume it, it would be possible you gain entrance to the Hive Mind.”

“And find Dana”, Alex ended. 

“Yes...well”, Ragland cleared his throat. _I doubt she's still alive. You are chasing ghosts, Alex._ “Focus on finding a Leader Hunter first. Though...I have no idea where you might find one. This city is big.”

“Blackwatch”, Alex pointed out. “They keep everything under supervision.” He slid off the table and pulled his hood up to cover his head. “And they will not stop me from getting Dana back.”

“Are you sure?” Ragland questioned. To him, this entire plan sounded more like it had been born from denial. He couldn't imagine why Redlight would want to keep the sister alive, much less abduct her- only to bait Alex? It didn't sound like Infected behavior.

“Only chance I have.” He paused suddenly, eyes zeroing on the parasite still sitting on the desk. “Ragland- can you prepare the parasite? I need it alive and lethal- not what we used for the cure.”

The coroner blinked, glancing back at the specimen bottle. “Uh...I can. But tell me, what for?”

“Greene had Dana abducted to use her as bait”, the other explained. “And that means if Greene wants _me_ , then she's not going to be far away from Dana.” His eyes narrowed. “In return this also means I have to go through _her_ when I get Dana. And I am going to kill Greene to do just that.”

Ragland sat up a bit straighter. “You mean- you want to use the  _parasite_ to do this?”

“Yes. You told me it would kill any Redlight Infected with ease. I am going to use it on Greene, see how she likes being eaten from the inside out. As soon she's dead, the Infection will be headless. Easily taken out.”

That was...a decent idea, actually. And with the parasite killing its host before it had a chance to grow, it would be two problems solved at once.

Alex had finally pulled back the claws as he eyed the coroner. “Another favor, Ragland?”

“Yes?”

“Would you look after Dana? Our safehouse had been compromised, after all. And with the two of you in one place, it would be easier looking after you.”

He blinked, then leaned back with a sigh. “I promise”, he replied.  _If she's still alive, that is._ “You just make sure you find a Leader.”

“Yeah” Alex was about to leave the morgue when he stopped, turning back to Ragland. “And thank you. For everything.”

* * *

 

He had been serious when he told Ragland he was grateful. The coroner had been right, he had panicked, had fear let overwrite his abilities and threw him down a loop of helpless rage and bottomless anguish.

In a way he had acted as a safety rope to Alex, had kept him from falling into that dark hole, had pulled him back to the surface and helped him see reason. In retrospect, he really had acted like an idiot. Rampaging hadn't brought Dana back, neither did attacking the military, but Ragland had suggested to get into the Hive Mind.

It was the best course of action, the most  _logical_ one; and Alex couldn't believe that he hadn't come to the same conclusion. Instead, he had wasted time raging across Manhattan. Vital time that could have decided Dana's fate. While he had been consumed by terror and lashed out at whatever he deemed guilty, Greene could have taken her time murdering Dana. Even though he actively denied that she was dead, the nagging fear remained rooted inside his head, gnawing and whispering.

And if she really was...then he had no idea what to do. He had fucked this up big time, had led the Infected straight to her. So he had to try to fix it. Had to find a way to make everything right again.

...Blackwatch, then.

Battery Park would be the best bet, though he'd rather not go into that place. Not without a good cover and fresh Biomass. His rampage had cost him dearly. If not for his nerves, he would have already started to consume prey to fix himself. But now that his head was clear again he was regretting it. He was  _hungry_ and his body was protesting against the emptiness inside. Luckily there were more than enough Infected around to satisfy those urges.

“Fuck this! What happens if that parasite gets out of Mercer?!” Alex stopped dead in his tracks, eyes narrowing. 'Parasite' and 'Mercer', in one sentence- muffled but there. 

His teeth were bared in a snarl.  _These guys worked with Karen_ .

“Yeah, I get where you're coming from. Fuck, we shouldn't be going around playing God and hope it all works out.”

He found them. Sitting inside an office building, talking. They had worked with Karen.

“We should be stopping this shit, not make new ones.”

Alex pounced at the wall, pulling his knees up and shielding his face with his arms when he smashed through the reinforced window closest to him. The shattering of the glass did not drown out the surprised shouts of the two men. He didn't let them figure out what was going on as he slammed both fists through their chests to kill and consume them.

He endured the flood of memories with grit teeth, then instantly looked for those that contained Karen.

“ _You know...when he finds out, all of us are going to die.”_

“ _Hah. You think this thing has a chance against this cancer?”_

“ _We don't know about Blacklight's adaptive abilities.”_

“ _If you had done your fucking job, then maybe we would have had something of ZEUS.”_

“ _And let Blackwatch get a sample of it? Look around- they already screwed up with Redlight!”_

Alex snarled and turned to head deeper into the office building- and stopped abruptly.

What was he  _doing_ here?

He should be trying to figure out where the Leader Hunter was to find Dana- and instead he was here hunting after Karen. Karen- who had betrayed him. Alex growled low in his throat, torn between trying to figure out where she was, and trying to figure out where the Leader Hunter was that took Dana.

But then again...He  _did_ need Biomass, and he was  _inside_ a Blackwatch safehouse. There were secrets here, information- and he could easily take all of it. If he stayed. The decision was easily made when a guard rounded the corner. Within the blink of an eye, Alex had shifted into poor Mark Katsaounis, one of the two he had just consumed. The guard frowned at him, then turned and walked past. He couldn't even scream when Alex grabbed his throat and crushed it, then stepped into his shape easily. Daniel Eckert was just another Blackwatch goon, usually on perimeter duty but he had known how to bribe some officers- had gotten the much safer and more cushy babysitting duty.

Alex grunted and headed down the hallway. There were some more eggheads around, he knew, but not Karen Parker. She had been relocated to a different safehouse, but Eckert didn't know which one. Wasn't that important now- taking out these few scientists would throw Blackwatch out of the loop.

He slid into a break room where three more men were sitting. Alex closed the door behind him and locked it. Then he shed his disguise and lunged at the men before they even realized what was going on. Scientists, not fighters. They were easy prey.

Their memories surged through his brain easily enough, but he simply shoved them to the back of his mind. He would review them later on- for now the most important point was how to find the Leader Hunter that took Dana. No luck here, those guys had only been on the team that designed the parasite. While intriguing on its own, the information were more or less redundant now.

Alex turned and headed back to the broken window to leave the safehouse. Anybody else around would only be guards. Nobody who had the information he looked for. Nobody that interested him.

At this rate, he probably was better off searching the Red Zones. Leader Hunters would not be far from Hives, most likely. However, Daniel Eckert had given him a precious insight: Alex now knew where Blackwatch's surveillance gear was to be found. Military bases, of course, but after his rampage from the night before, the military was struggling to fix the damage he had wrought and wasn't as attentive as they should be.

He just needed to find a base closest to the ones he demolished, slip in and figure out what he needed to know before anybody would ask questions.

Sounded easy enough.

* * *

 

It was noon. Alex had successfully infiltrated a base and had found and easily consumed the communications officer. Theodore Anderson had also given him a surprising insight: He had tapped McMullen's phone, back before Penn Station, and had tried to find  _him_ .

“ _Is this Alex? End this. Come in now.”_

“ _Why didn't you tell me where this sample had come from?”_

“ _I couldn't, Alex. I couldn't risk it.”_

“ _Yeah, well. You fucked up.”_

So he had tried figuring out where Redlight had come from. Where the source for Blacklight came from. McMullen had tried to lure him back- on Blackwatch's order. Had he succeeded? Alex didn't think so. The voice-  _his_ voice in Anderson's memories was so full of hate that it seemed unlikely he ever met with his boss. But he didn't know what it meant. Ragland had suggested that maybe he had tried to stop the release. Did they know what was going to happen?

McMullen would know, and he wasn't going to leave the island any time soon. Alex knew perfectly well that the boss of Gentek was too interested in Redlight and Blacklight to leave all of it behind. To McMullen, Alex was the most interesting specimen. And he wasn't going to let the chance to see what made him tick waste. McMullen would still be there, even after Alex had killed Greene. And Greene was going to die, there was no question about it.

After he got Dana back.

He felt a little easier about that after browsing through the data, knowing that his chance at freeing his sister had increased. Blackwatch had kept an eye on the Red Zones, and they too had figured out that there was a new type of Hunter. The first time they noticed them was not even two days before Dana was taken- during the time he had been suffering from the parasite.

As far as Alex had learnt, there weren't all too many Leaders at the moment. But only one of them had taken Dana. The Hive Mind became his only chance to get his sister back. One Leader Hunter would hopefully be enough to get him into the Infected network, and help him locate the one that took her.

That was why he headed back to Lower Midtown after slipping away from the compound. The Red Zones had grown fat, Blackwatch had estimated that nearly seventy percent of the city was affected by now. More than two million people. Dead within seven days after Greene got free. And Blackwatch couldn't stop it, barely slowed it down at all. It was way too effective, too much like an army than a simple disease.

But, like every army, the Infection too had a general and commanders. And as far Alex was concerned, commanders were the weakest point in the entire army. Had access to every place, had information- and were easily picked out from the crowd. The only tricky thing was to figure out where they were. But if Greene's Infected Army was anywhere like Blackwatch, then the commanders were going to be at bases. And that meant Hives.

Not  _any_ Hives, though- he had to look for a cluster of Hives. And Lower Midtown was a very safe bet. The Red Zones here had been around ever since the first day, and most of the residential areas of Greenwich and Chelsea had served as the base for many Hives. There were the most Infected here, and the most Hunters. And hopefully a Leader.

Alex finally hit the jackpot as he passed along the 6 th Avenue. He discovered the remains of a Marine platoon, all torn apart. And even the tank was destroyed- and since he  _knew_ he hadn't been here for a long time, it meant that Infected had done this. He went down to the street and moved closer to inspect the tank. Giant gashes had been torn into the metal, and when Alex shifted to his claws, he noticed that they were way larger than his own talons. Larger than an Hunter's too.

_Leader Hunter_

Alex leaned closer, sniffing at the metal. The shreds were fresh, the blood around still not congealed. Which meant whatever had done this was probably still nearby. Beneath the stench of rot and death was something more potent. More powerful, stronger.

The Leader Hunter was nearby, he could  _feel_ it.

And it was  _watching_ . He turned and squinted up the  _Chelsea Tower_ .  _Up there..._

He pushed off the floor and rushed upwards, feet crushing glass beneath as he ran along the facade of the building. His muscles coiled beneath his skin, gathering energy like springs, and he shot straight upwards once he reached the edge of the roof.

He used the time in mid-air to scan the area. As he suspected, a Leader Hunter was crouched low on the roof, teeth gnashing and claws digging through the gravel. Alex snarled in reply and his right arm shifted, turning into his Blade. At the same time, his Armor encased his body. When Alex hit the rooftop, he tore a good-sized crater and cracked those windows closest to the roof that hadn't broken yet. The Leader Hunter was upon him as soon he touched down, bodily colliding into him like a runaway train. Alex grunted and braced himself, easily keeping his balance; though he did slide several feet backwards until he caught himself at the raised concrete barrier of the roof. Now with leverage, Alex managed to push off and slam into the Hunter's chest, making it stagger back and getting him some distance to bring his Blade into position. The beast roared again and tried to dive at him, but he easily stopped it by ramming his weapon right through its chest. It was too thick for him to get all the way through, though.

The Leader made a noise somewhere between a choke and a whine, but quickly brought its paws between them and dug its nails into Alex's armored shell to push itself off his sword-like arm, then jumped back with an hiss. He pounced after it, only for the Hunter to slash its talons at him. His armor swallowed the damage done, but the sheer force threw him off course and sent him sliding across the roof. Alex caught himself with a snarl and immediately kicked off the ground, shooting skywards as far as his armor allowed him too. He didn't need to go very high, though, because he swung his blade down and gave off a burst of air, driving himself back to the rooftop with his weapon below his center of balance like a Guillotine. The Hunter anticipated his move though- whether by sheer luck or animal instinct- and threw itself off the roof and towards the street, letting Alex dig his weapon into the roof. He swore and yanked himself free, then barreled after the Hunter and dropped to the ground as well. His rigid carapace actually helped him there- decreasing the wind draft and increasing his speed in that way.

When he hit the floor, it was with the force of a small military warhead. The asphalt splintered like drywall, the cars around were flipped over and several of the Infected milling about were flung off their feet. The Leader Hunter ducked and snarled at its adversary, then reared up and roared out. In an instant, all of the Infected on the street whipped around and dove at Alex. He only rolled his eyes and let his Blade and Claws melt away to replace them for his Musclemass.

When the first of the Infected reached him, he slammed both fists hard into the ground. His normal blow only threw them off their feet or killed those closest to him. Enhanced with the Musclemass however, every single Infected within a twelve-foot-radius  _splattered_ . The shockwave he created through the single punch was too much for human tissue to withstand. The single Hunter that had joined the Infected only staggered, though, so Alex swung around and threw a fierce uppercut into its jaw, shattering its bones and snapping its head back. He leapt at it the next moment, grabbing a firm hold of its shoulders and slamming both armored knees into its throat, utterly crushing its spine. The Hunter collapsed back with a whine, but Alex's tendrils ensnared its body and consumed its insides before it even hit the floor.

As he landed with a thud on the already ruined street, he immediately whirled around and let his Whipfist shoot out to rip the other Infected to shreds. Alex let the momentum spin him around, and swiftly changed the whip back into his Blade to slice it through another swath of Walkers that approached him from behind. He then instantly shifted back to the Musclemass and seized another Infected, pulling it in half length-wise and consumed it as well.

The Leader Hunter had remained nearby the entire time, had healed the wound he had torn before, and was now bristling at the sight of him tearing its army to shreds. It roared at him while he growled in reply, then kicked off the floor and launched himself at it. The Leader swung its tree-trunk like arm in a wide swipe, though Alex easily avoided the blow by simply air-dashing to the side, then bounced off a building and tackled his whole weight into its flank, snapping some bones. The beast jerked back, then howled out once more.

Three more Hunters seemed to materialize out of  _nowhere_ and instantly dove at Alex, while the big guy got some distance. Alex snorted and turned to face the three newcomers. The Blade would probably work well against one or maybe two, but given its size and Alex's inexperience with it, he wasn't so sure about using it in close combat yet. So he decided to go for the easier way- he spun around and dove to the side, grabbing a damaged car off the sidewalk and hoisting it over his head. Without wasting another moment, he chucked it at the closest Hunter with all his might, watching how seventeen hundred pounds in motion crushed the beast's skull to paste.

The other two had reached him then, clawed paws slamming into him. His Armor creaked in protest, and he distinctly  _felt_ it crack in several places. Alex grit his teeth and catapulted himself off the floor, flipping his body and stretching out one leg in the process. Then he gave off another burst of air and shot back downwards, his foot meeting the Hunter on the right with enough strength to crush its collar bone and send it flat on its back. The other swiped at him again, and Alex had no chance but to take it. His Armor creaked again, and this time the blow went through and tore into the soft flesh beneath. After the muted sensations from the heavy shell, the streak of pain was surprisingly harsh.

He whipped around with an half-swallowed yell, throwing his fist into the Hunter's face with all his strength. The skull shattered under his blow in a satisfying manner, sending shards of bone and bits of brain splattering everywhere. The Hunter collapsed while the second one tried to get back to its feet. Alex loped over and stomped down hard on its throat, snapping spine and trachea easily. Then his tendrils surged out from under his shell and grabbed the beast, tearing it apart and adding its mass to his.

As his Armor repaired itself when the fresh Biomass settled in, Alex turned to glance at the Leader Hunter. “Look around”, he told it, “It's just you and me now.”

The Leader snarled and puffed up, claws digging trenches into the asphalt beneath while its second maw opened and closed, snapping at nothing. It was obviously through with playing nice. Well, that was mutual, Alex was too.

It lunged at him, and he reacted; sprinting towards it. They met in the middle of the street with an ear-splitting  _crack_ as their impulses canceled each other out, stopping both foes dead in their tracks. The Hunter reeled yowling, and Alex stumbled a step or two back, swearing. The impact had cracked his armor in several places along his shoulders and chest, though the damage was already healing itself- albeit slower than what he was used from his normal flesh. It seemed even his Armor would not be able to keep up forever. But he didn't need  _forever_ . It would be enough if it survived taking down this bastard.

He tore his attention away from his own body to charge at the Leader Hunter before it could get its bearing back together. He collided with its body at full speed again, this time his Armor didn't give in from the lack of resistance on the other side. The Hunter toppled backwards, flailing its arms to regain its balance, though too late when it hit the street with a yowl.

Unlike normal Hunters, though, it instantly kicked out its legs to jump back to its feet and keep him from pouncing on it.

Definitely smarter than Hunters, then.

It roared and swiped at him, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid even more damage to his shell as long it was still healing. However, the Armor did hamper with his agility, so the Leader's swipe still brushed him when he should have been out of reach.

Alex quickly changed tactics. He let the attack whip him to the side, so he could follow up with a full 360-degree turn and snatch the Hunter's arm in a steel-like grip. His feet dug into the ground as he started to  _twist_ . The beast snarled and tried to pull back, but its angry hisses quickly changed character and became panicked squeals of pain. Alex threw his weight into what he was doing and forced the Hunter's arm back until something snapped. The Hunter howled out, but instantly slammed its other arm into his shell with enough force to make him back off. He grunted and ducked slightly, flexing his fingers.

The Hunter roared again, but no Infected came to its aid this time. Instead, Alex could almost  _hear_ its bones grind against each other as they started to right themselves. He didn't have too long to take this bastard down, but it was much too tough for him.

He could try the Blade again- but he wasn't going to trust a weapon he had nearly no experience using. Not in this case- though he did have other possibilities. Alex broke away and sprinted down the street to grab another car. He heaved it up and immediately chucked it at the Leader Hunter, hitting it dead on. The Hunter snarled and swayed back, while Alex pushed off the ground to deliver a devastating drop-kick to the beast to crush some more bones.

It finally started showing some effect, much to his relief- the Leader was slowing down, its attacks were less coordinated. He assumed that the amount of damage it slowly accumulated was taxing its system with the effort to heal it. If he had military weapons, he would probably take this thing down much easier. He stepped back and pulled up his Shield in addition to his Armor, then ducked low and coiled the muscles in his legs. The Leader snarled and slammed both paws into the ground, generating a shockwave not unlike his own (though weaker), and roared at him. But by doing so, it presented him with its head.

Alex charged. He immediately pulled his Armor back and ducked behind his shield, then exploded to the front. Free of the constricting shell, his lunge was  _way_ faster than anything he had done before in this battle, and it caught the Leader completely unprepared. He slammed into its skull with incredible force, and he heard the satisfying crack of some very large bones.

_Dinner is served_

His Shield melted away, so he could grasp the Hunter's skull and its chin while bracing himself against its chest to break its jaw, straining with all his strength.

The Leader's jaw gave in with an ugly crunch, and Alex grinned. His tendrils were crawling beneath his surface, yearning to slip out and infect.

The Hunter suddenly jerked back and slammed its claw deep into Alex's chest, utterly ruining his torso now that there wasn't an armor protecting him. The shock and pain made him let go, so the thing shook him off and sent him flailing into another car at the sidewalk.

Alex gasped, trying to suck in air into his ruined lungs even as his body fixed itself. The Hunter wailed, thrashing, as its broken jaw hung awkwardly from its face. Alex groaned and pulled himself upright, eyes narrowing.  _Why can't I break it like the others?_

He was certain he had snapped its spine with his actions, so why was it still standing?

Alex paused, frowning, puzzling about this until he realized that this thing was not only tougher, but also larger than a normal Hunter.  _Twice_ the size and weight, in fact. And Hunters came from normal humans that grew into these monstrosities.

What if  _two_ Hunters made up the stock of Leaders? It had two mouths, after all. So it probably had  _two spines_ as well.

He needed to break both of them to render the Leader consumable. Alex immediately freed himself from the twisted wreckage and re-summoned his Armor. His Musclemass-enhanced fingers flexed once, then he whipped around and grabbed the car to fling it at the Leader Hunter to keep it down. In an instant, he charged the beast himself, slamming his entire weight into its chest to keep its bones broken and its healing effort overworked. It roared, trying to shake him, but Alex easily mounted it. He clung to its broken jaw and threw a fierce punch against its temple, shattering the bone there, before he scrambled over its shoulder and sank his fist into the second mouth, driving his arm deep into its throat and spine. The Hunter  _screeched_ in agony as its body went limp- and Alex's feeding tendrils finally slipped out from under his shell and dug into the thrashing body beneath. Nearly one ton of Biomass surged into Alex as he hungrily devoured every bit of flesh and organs he could find. Cracked skin and bleached bones were all that was left of the Leader once he was finished.

And then images flashed before his eyes, forcing him to his knees with a gasp as he was wholly unprepared for them. Memories? But the Infected and Walkers didn't have those, mostly only vague feelings of flashbacks. Hunters only had their instincts and knew where they spent most time, but the Leader?

It was simply  _more_ . Not as much as humans had, but still a lot more overwhelming than anything he'd seen in Infected before. And unlike the Hunters, there was cunning and smartness in the Leader. It was more...child-like than its brethren.

He groaned, trying to stand. “Feels like I'm connecting to something.”

Alex could  _sense_ Elizabeth Greene. Before, her presence had been more or less a feeling, the instinct that she was there and acted through the Infection- now, however, he  _knew_ she was there, watching and whispering. He could  _feel_ her eyes at the back of his head, could hear her voice deep in his mind. Soft, soothing, telling him what to do and who to kill- and all it did was to make him  _furious_ .

She had taken Dana and wanted him too. Her own little family. Created through blackmail and brainwashing. Alex snarled as his armor sunk back into his flesh. He wouldn't let her. He would find her and he would get his sister away from her.

“It's ZEUS! Target ZEUS in range!”

He whirled around, eyes narrowing on a group of Marines. Before he could focus, however, his world drowned out into muted colors of orange and brown, and even the sounds around were barely noticeable. The men were nearly invisible against the dull background- except for three of them. These three were glowing brilliantly white, while Alex himself seemed to shimmer slightly.

He was infected, but not yet part of the Hive Mind. These three however...

They were fully infected, though not visibly so. And since they were still with the Marines, they obviously were not aware of it either. But to the Hive they were members, sleeper agents in a way- and Alex could easily pick them out.

He immediately lunged at the three, ignoring the others, and consumed the first one. Nothing happened, so he went for the other two. The bullets that bit into him were easily ignored, but when he dispatched of the remaining men, he noticed voices whispering at the back of his head.

Not the men and women he consumed, but rather...someone different. No...not someone. Some _thing_ . He could  _hear_ the Hive itself. Could hear it talk. But it was largely muted, barely there; though compared to how he couldn't hear  _anything_ before...

Alex pushed off the floor and headed towards the edge of the Red Zones. He was still an intruder to the Hive Mind. He had access, but wasn't  _allowed_ in there. Like a hacker, he needed more rescources.

More Infected he could consume to gain the information he needed. To find the Hunter that took Dana.

 


	17. The First Monster

 

Something was  _wrong_ . Alex had crossed the Red Zone, had watched the Infected down there- but  _not a single one_ showed up on his newly acquired Infected Vision. He had checked in his normal vision, he had consumed a few of these guys- but nothing had improved the volume of the Hive talking.

_Why?_

They were Infected, just like the Marines had been; yet they did not show up on his Infected Vision. What was the difference? Why couldn't he see the Infected themselves, only the carriers?

_Wait..._

Alex paused on top of the lower terraces of  _The Pierre_ , staring down. A military base had sprung up just north of it. He could see several white-glowing carriers. But the Infected from just before did not show up, neither did the unaffected soldiers.

Because he still did not have real access, he realized. Until now, he was skulking around the entrance of the Hive, not finding a way in. Just like the carriers. That was why they showed up on his Infected Vision, the real Infected, however, did not. Yet.

Was this a sort of fail safe, just like the Leader Hunter's toughness? Could Greene have really anticipated this? Or was it a security measure from Redlight itself? Was the virus actually able to estimate what he was going to do and develop countermeasures against him? 

It was...disturbing, in a way. But Alex had come too close to let it stop him now. Every carrier he consumed improved his link to the Hive- so he just had to consume more of them until he had access.

He got up from his crouch and pulled his Armor over his body. After two Hunters, several people and Infected and one Leader Hunter, he had enough Biomass by now to barrel head-first into this base. Plus it would give him a chance to test out his shell against military-grade weapons. He dropped off the roof, shattering the street upon impact. The guards whirled around, eyes blown wide as Alex peeled out of the dust in his nightmarish black Armor and instantly flicked out his claws. He lunged to the front, ignoring their cries of alarm as he ate up the distance between his previous position and the first of the guards. The left guard was of no interest, but the right one was glowing brilliantly white. Alex reached him within moments and slammed his talon through his chest, consuming him instantly. Bullets impacted into his shell, but his extremely dense flesh and the tough chitin offered simply too much resistance for them to actually get through. And organic armor had the advantage of being a lot more tenacious than metal, so even armor-piercing rounds barely managed to get through.

Not that bullets ever particularly interested him. Alex swung around and pounced over the metal wall cutting off the base's courtyard, slamming hard into the asphalt on the other side. Two tanks were there, and a bunch of guys were just in the process of scrambling inside. He growled and let his right claw melt away to turn it into his Blade.

The first tank couldn't even fire up as he leapt at it and let his weapon crush downwards like an ax; and the edge effortlessly cut through solid steel very much like a hot knife through butter. Alex knew how a tank was build too, so he deliberately targeted the engine. When his Blade ripped through the heart of the tank, the whole vehicle sputtered and died. Alex yanked his arm free, then dove at the Marines that had surged out of the base. Through the muted world of the Hive Mind, it was hard picking up details, forcing him to move more or less blind- but with his greater weight and protective shell he would be able to take a whole lot of punishment. Something impacted into him, throwing him slightly off balance, and he took a moment to realize that somebody had shot at him with a grenade launcher. He could hear startled yells, demands for back-up, and he knew he had to move  _faster_ . He whirled in place and pounced on another group of Marines with four carriers amongst them. Using his Blade he dispatched the unaffected, while he used his free talon to grab and drag the affected ones inside.

His body was thrashing beneath his tough shell, churning out the virus that coursed through him and fitting in the fresh Biomass at a frantic pace. His head was thankfully empty, though he knew the men's memories were going to hit him with a vengeance once he was no longer fighting. Right now, though, he had to focus on fighting, dodging, killing. There were too many of them, and only one of him. Too many with too big guns, and his Infected Vision barely picked up the not-infected soldiers, nor did it help him against the tanks or UAVs. Hitting them was more or less luck, though he did manage to keep on top simply by sheer stubbornness and his superior strength.

But he could not deny that the Hive's voice became louder. Almost too loud to pick up what was going on in the real world around him. And more even, while he couldn't pick up individual tracks, he could already tell that the Hive was buzzing.  _So many voices...all talking. All dying_ . The Infection was marching on, relentlessly, not caring about the individual Infected that met its end at the military's hands. And he could  _hear_ them. Could hear them screeching in pain, could sense them die. It was maddening.

He stopped in the middle of the base, claw digging into the remains of the second tank and his Blade turning back in a normal arm as he grabbed his temple with a grunt. It was simply too much. Too many voices, too much pain- but he had to keep going. He had to finish this to find Dana.

Plus there was the dull roar of helicopter rotors, audible even over the busy Hive Mind; and the soldiers here finally brought out the heavy weapons. Alex already lost two or three armor layers to them, and his body was frantically reinforcing his shell and trying to fix the constant damage caused.

There was no time left, he realized, when two more Apaches swung down and started to rain missiles down over the compound. The last three carriers he could see were summarily torn apart by the explosions, and his own Armor creaked loudly, protesting the harsh treatment.

Looks like he overstayed his welcome.

Alex instantly abandoned what he was doing and rocketed off the ground- pitifully low- to get out of the compound and make the Apaches stop shooting. He hit the street just outside and pulled back his Armor, then jumped off again. This time he shot straight skywards and past the helicopters, landing hard on a roof on the other side of the street. Shifting to the Musclemass, he lunged towards the air conditioners and tore the closest out of its holding. He whirled and tossed it at the first Apache before it even managed to turn to target him.

As it dropped to the street as twisted wreckage, the second came at him. Alex pounced off the roof and shot towards the helicopter, kicking his outstretched leg into its tail to snap it off and send it careening downwards. At the same time, he gave off a burst of air and changed his own trajectory, heading back towards the towering buildings along Madison Avenue to get out of the military's sight.

This was the only base in this area, and he had already caused enough damage to the men there so they wouldn't keep on hunting after him, but he also hadn't managed to finish what he had come for. His link to the Hive Mind was still foggy at best. He still needed more carriers until he managed to get through.

Luckily, carriers were not only in the military. He glanced back, trying to listen despite the Hive Mind roaring in his ears and came back with nothing. It seemed they abandoned chasing after him when he vanished over Eastside. They probably had more important things to do, or decided that going against him was not worth the resources and manpower. After all, the Marines were not Blackwatch. Their job was to contain the Infection, not stop him.

Which means as long he wasn't spotted by a patrol, he had free range.

To find more carriers.

He was aware that those he was looking for were all  _civilian_ in nature. None of them had ever asked for this- but they were infected. Threats to everybody around them. And even if they didn't get sick themselves (what he actually doubted with how Redlight was working), then they were going to transmit the disease further. He just couldn't allow it if he wanted to end it, so he had to stop them.

Once Redlight took a hold of them, death would be a mercy.

Alex glanced down to the street. Several people, wandering along. They were scared of the Infection. Scared for their future. Yet they still refused to remain at home and simply wait everything out. Manhattanites were amongst the most stupid people ever, it seemed.

A white shimmer below took his attention and he stopped his motion, peering down.

There was a single carrier right below his position, another further down the street. Much less than he'd seen in the Marines, but understandably so. After all, civilians most likely did not try to stay near the Red Zones for too long.

Alex clicked his tongue and shifted his arm to the Whipfist. He really did not like having to waste even more time trying to hunt down those that could get him deeper into the Hive Mind, but it didn't look like he had any chance. With a sigh, he pulled his arm back for momentum, then threw it to the front, letting the clawed tip whistle through the air. He hit the carrier easily, digging his claws into their shirt, then yanked them back. He didn't give them time to catch their breath or even figure out whether he had grabbed a man or woman, and just slammed his victim into the roof to snap their bones and consume the mass. Alex grunted and shoved the memories into the confines of his brain, though not fast enough to figure out who he just grabbed. An accountant. Nobody who mattered.

But the other people down there- they had noticed. Of course they did. Even though they were stubborn about keeping up their normal every-day-life, they had become more careful. Alex knew that those that had access to guns had them with them as long they were outside; and they did pay more attention to their surroundings. So when one of them got snatched right out of their middle by a black tentacle, they got nervous.

He noticed that the second carrier further down the street had also paused as well, and was looking back.

Alex moved. He was still partially hidden by the buildings beneath him, but his prey had spotted him and would try to escape. The hunt was on, so he didn't really pay attention towards obstacles in his way. Obstacles like satellite dishes- and snapping them drew attention.

Plus he was way too heavy now to run without shattering the roof he was on, and the loud cracks were way too obvious. The people down there were panicking. Alex easily picked it up, even when eyes and ears were affected by the Hive Mind. He still had his sense of smell and touch, and it was more than enough to keep him going.

He pulled back the Whipfist and let it shoot to the front, but the carrier stumbled in that moment, dropping flat to their face. The whip overshot its target and slammed hard into the figure just to the front of the carrier, the sharp talons ripping them in half without so much as an effort.

“Shit!” Alex swore and yanked his Whipfist back. Wrong target. He missed! The street below erupted into a full-blown panic, and the people scattered into every direction, running around like headless chicken and blocking his view. The carrier scrambled back to their feet and dove to the side into an alleyway.

Alex instantly shifted to his claws and set after the target, street crushing underneath as he hit the floor running. The people lunged to the side, screaming in panic (some managed to get their act together and draw their weapons), but none of them bothered him. Within three strides he had caught up to the carrier. His talons flexed and spread wide open, then snatched the person's neck easily. Distantly, he noticed it was thinner, less muscled than a man's. A woman, then? Alex didn't really care. Carrier was carrier. He stopped abruptly, feet tearing trenches into the ground, and the force of the woman's momentum carried her body a bit further, snapping her neck from her own impulse and the crushing strength of Alex's claw. The body went limp and Alex wasted no time to drag it in, grunting against the fresh surge of memories that he paid no attention to, and the increased contact to the Hive.

_Still not enough_

Alex shot off from the floor and headed back to the roofs, leaping across the block to find another carrier. He found another white-glowing one moving along the next street. This time, he didn't bother with the Whipfist, just jumped back to the street, charged the guy and ripped him off his feet, then effortlessly carried him up to the nearest roof to consume him.

His vision started clearing, the Hive talking clearer.

_Just a little more..._

By now most of the block was alarmed. People were screaming in the street, running for their lives. Even over the buzzing of the Hive Mind and the murky colors his world currently was in, Alex noticed. And it made his blood boil beneath his skin. He was a predator in every sense of the word. It was far too late to deny any of it, and Alex had long since realized that he was actually  _okay_ with it.

The downside to this was that anything that  _fled_ instantly went on his prey list. But, like all predators, he knew how to pick a target and stick with it, ignoring everybody else. And his target was the one carrier down the street. Male, from the scent of it. He effortlessly caught up with him, shoving other fleeing people out of the way in the process, and swung his claws to the side, ripping through the man's calf and making him drop to the ground with a scream. Alex instantly grabbed him and leapt off the street to find a more secluded place. The man had grown frantic, clawing at his captor's talons, but the slashes in his calf were too deep. Alex watched how the blood was flooding across the gravel almost mesmerized, deaf to his victim's pleas. Almost as an afterthought, he eventually slammed his talons through the man's chest to consume him.

The Hive roared around him, but stubbornly refused to let him in. He could pick up their voices, some louder, some more silent- but he just could not  _listen_ .

_Still not enough. Fuck._

With a frustrated snarl, Alex continued rushing across the district. He found three more carriers and snatched them up, at the cost of exposing himself even more. The whole area was buzzing like a hornet's nest by now. Civilians were frantically trying to get to safety, slipping into buildings and crowding together in hideouts.

But he was so close-  _so close_ to getting access to the Hive Mind, yet it kept slipping out of his fingers every time he tried to grab it. He swore under his breath and kept looking for another carrier, crossing block after block and watching for anything betraying its position.

Another shine of white- and Alex immediately changed his course, heading straight for it. The echo of him hitting the buildings was incredibly loud, even to his ears, and he could only assume that it played Hell on the civilians around. And was probably destroying his cover. He just hoped nobody would connect the dots and summon the military on his ass. Not before he had Dana in a safe place.

He was right over the carrier, and he glanced down. A group of non-infected humans and one carrier huddled around a burning trashcan. He could smell gunpowder on them. It looked like this was another group of so-called 'survivors' that had banded together. Survivors. As if. If they had been smart, they would have stayed indoors and waited for everything to blow over. Clearly, they were too stupid to live. But whatever was going to happen to them was going to happen according to Darwin's Laws, not through his claws. Except for the carrier in their midst. That one was all his.

Alex stepped off the roof he had been on and dropped to the ground, smashing it to bits upon contact. As expected, the group of civilians whipped around, eyes wide. He flexed his claws once, scraped his nails together with a metallic shriek, and focused on the carrier. He burst to the front without warning, charging them. They immediately scattered, trying to avoid him- but he wasn't after them. The carrier tried to dive to the side, but it was just a matter of altering his course and pick up his feet.

As soon as his talons closed around his target, he leapt off the ground and against the wall several stories above the street, then pushed off again and quickly vanished over the edge.

“Let go! Let go, damnit!!” The tone of the voice, the choked sobs- they stopped all of his motion immediately, and his claw just fell open so the carrier dropped on the roof.

_Let go! Let go, damnit! Alex! I'm scared!_

For a moment, he saw Dana sitting on the roof in front of him, and he didn't know what was going on, because he  _knew_ this couldn't be her. But as she scrambled backwards the illusion was broken. Alex shook his head and grit his teeth, then glared at her, eyes narrowing. She was younger than Dana, with a shock of blonde hair and tattered clothes that looked like they were a few sizes too large. She was currently trying to get away from him, scrabbling backwards until her back hit the roof exit. But she couldn't do much more than just sit there and stare at him.

She wasn't important, just another carrier to be consumed. Alex snorted and clicked his claws together, approaching the carrier. The girl shrieked and tried to get to her feet, but she kept slipping on the gravel. Alex easily caged her in, talons fanned out, reaching for her.

“Stop!!” She squealed, ducking behind her hands. “Don't kill me!”

He kept telling himself to  _not_ listen, yet he ceased all motion, Dana flashing in front of his eyes again. She had ducked behind her hands too, just like the carrier, and Alex cursed himself for being too soft.

“Don't kill me!” The carrier shrieked again, “Please- I have family and friends- I don't want to die!”

_Don't talk don't talk don't talk- just get on with it._ “Nobody wants to die.”  _Damnit._

The girl's breathing hitched, painfully clear to him even over the chatter of the Hive Mind. Obviously, she hadn't expect him to  _talk_ at all. “You can  _speak_ ?!”

“Obviously”, Alex crouched down, forearms resting on his knees as he watched the carrier.

“But the other Zombies can not-”

“I am not like them.”

“Then- why--?”

“Why did I grab you?” He cocked his head. “It's because I'm going to kill you.”

She reeled back, eyes blown wide. Alex shrugged. “I left your friends alone and unharmed, if you want to know, but I can not let you go.”

“Why?”

“Because you are infected”, he said bluntly. “The same thing that takes over the city is boiling in your blood.” He furrowed his brows. “If I let you go, you would turn sooner or later, turn on your friends and carry the disease further.”

“Wait- wait! There has to be a cure!”

“There is”, Alex shrugged, reaching out to grab the top of her skull with his massive talon. “Death.”

He wrenched her head to the side.

* * *

 

It was like a foggy window had shattered. Alex finally had unrestricted access to the Hive Mind. There was no longer a maddening plethora of voices, no longer dulled vision and hearing. Now everything had order, and Alex could easily  _see_ carriers, unaffected, Infected and the Infection in itself. He could  _see_ it spread under the earth in wafts of red against a dark background. He could see  _himself_ , glowing an unnaturally white in the murky gloom.

And more importantly, he could pick up any voice at will. His own was silent, he wasn't more than a shadow in the Hive. The Infected were chatting in an endless sea of voices, and above them the slightly louder voices of the Hunters, then the Leader Hunters. And at the very top, Elizabeth Greene.

She was the only one aware of him, and her voice kept on droning in his head. Smooth, silky, luring like honey.

He hated it. Hated that the part of him that was the virus was feeling  _at home_ in the Hive Mind. Hated that Blacklight itself wanted to be part of it.

So as soon as he found the closest Leader Hunter, he instantly cut his connection to the Hive with a strangled gasp, and his world was suddenly filled with colors and sounds once more. After such a long time of having been confined to the muted variation, the normal vision was a little shocking, but sobering.

2 Columbus Avenue. A forty-one story apartment complex of luxury condos. This was where the Hive Mind had led him. This was where another Leader was. He was going to consume every last of them until he found the one that took Dana.

So Alex easily scaled the much taller Time Warner Center, listening to glass crinkle beneath his feet as he pushed himself towards the roof fifty-five stories off the ground. He paused for a moment, scanning the roof just at the other side of a small tree-covered park and the street. He could spot a Leader Hunter and three more Hunters, all of them attentive. They knew he was nearby, but couldn't decide what to do. Well, he would make it easier for them.

Alex moved back to the other end of the roof, inhaled once- and started sprinting across the flat surface, coiling the muscles in his legs. The roof cracked loudly as he catapulted himself off it and shot through the empty air, only to snap his limbs into position and stop gravity from trying to pull him down when he started to glide. The Leader had noticed him, was roaring at him, but too far below to do anything. They could jump, sure, but only Blacklight had the right to do this sort of distance.

So when the Leader suddenly yanked the Air Conditioner out of its holding and chucked it with full force at Alex, he was more than surprised. He avoided it easily enough, changing his trajectory with an air dash, but he didn't think they would have figured out his favorite tactic out to take down airborne targets. They were apparently full of surprises.

But he could be surprising too.

Alex pulled one arm away from his body and swiftly changed it into his Blade, the sudden shift of his weight pulling awkwardly at his form in mid-air, so he just flipped around and brought the weapon down, allowing gravity to take a hold of him.

He came down blade-first, chopping easily through one of the Hunters and killing it without so much as a thought. The other two Hunters whirled and leapt at him, while the Leader ducked and growled. Alex hopped off the floor, easily avoiding the two Hunters as they tried to skewer him. He would do this without his Armor, speed and agility were going to be better suited for fighting on a roof, after all. (Plus he couldn't glide with his shell, and gliding might help when he got thrown off the building or something)

That was when he saw it.

Barely visible, but still very distinguishable. Knotted white lines against dark gray flesh, spread across the Leader Hunter's shoulder. Scars weren't uncommon in Hunters, he knew. They didn't heal like he did, so deeper injuries left scars behind.

Like that one. And he recognized its shape. His Whipfist left similar imprints in brick walls.

He slammed hard into the top of the roof exit, eyes narrowing. His lips peeled away from his teeth in a snarl that was both, angry and excited. “That was you”, he growled. “You were the one who took Dana.” Suddenly his angry expression twisted into a malicious leer. “Too bad for you.”

_First the other two_

Alex lunged off he perch and tackled one of the other two Hunters, throwing it off balance because his weight was so much larger than its. As soon he had it on the ground, he just stabbed his Blade down, right through its sternum. The Hunter roared out, and Alex was forced to let go of it when the Leader dove at him. He jumped off the ground again, then angled his body and shot back downwards, crushing the Hunter's skull beneath his feet, while also swinging his Blade horizontally to slice it across the Leader's face. His weapon easily cut through bone and flesh, hitting the softer brain beyond. The large beast jerked back, howling. Alex immediately lunged at the last Hunter, Blade stretched to the side to build up momentum for his next strike. The Hunter whirled around, trying to assault him with its claws. Alex stopped harshly and swung the Blade in a wide arc, lopping off the Hunter's forearms. The beast reeled back, howling in agony. Alex pounced at it and brought his weapon down, cleaving its skull in halves. The Hunter collapsed into a heap around his feet.

A massive arm hit him square in the back, ripping through his shoulder and spine and sent him sprawling. Alex gasped once from the shock, but quickly collected himself and leapt off the ground to avoid a second blow. His flesh repaired itself soon enough since he had more than enough mass to spare. The Leader roared and was upon him the very moment he touched back on the roof. It slammed into him, trying to bite his face off if Alex hadn't brought his forearm against its throat to hold it off.

The crack the surface made was barely audible over the roar of the Hunter. When the roof gave in under their combined weight, however,  _both_ of them noticed. Alex slammed hard into the ground beneath, the Leader on him, knocking all breath out of his lungs with a dry wheeze. Unfortunately, unlike him, the beast wasn't stunned by the sudden drop, so it immediately went for Alex's throat, tearing it out with a single bite.

Alex choked and his legs shot up, kicking hard into the Leader's chest to get it to back off. At the same time, his wounds sealed themselves and his Armor crawled over his shape to cover his body, just in time to swallow an otherwise bone-breaking swipe of its claws. He growled enraged when the impact jarred his entire frame. Close up like this his Blade was useless, so he instantly shifted to his Musclemass and managed to throw a rather awkward uppercut into the Hunter's chin. Shattered teeth rained down above him as the thing gnashed its now crooked jaw and backed off. Alex managed to launch his body over his shoulder and get his arms beneath his chest, so he instantly thrust himself off the ground and further into the luxury apartment that now had a direct roof entrance. The Leader roared just as he whirled around to face it.

Confined in a narrow space like this he only had the chance to go close up and personal. So he summoned his Shield, pasting it over his left Musclemass-enhanced arm and just  _charged_ . His feet tore the expensive hardwood floor beneath to shreds as he slammed bodily into the Leader. The massive beast roared out, clawing at him, but Alex fiercly bashed his Shield into its arm, shattering it with a single violent blow. The Hunter howled out, so Alex threw another punch into its face to shut it up. Then he shoved hard against it again, trying to keep it off-balance.

The Hunter roared again and threw its good arm at Alex, who ducked under the wild swing. It took out the wall besides them, shattering it into specks of drywall dust.

These close quarters weren't doing him any favors- the apartment was already too small for him to maneuver around, and the Leader Hunter swallowed up enormous amounts of space just by  _being_ in there. But it also meant it was more or less forced to remain immobile.

Still, it would be better to take it out of commission as fast as possible.

The best and easiest way would be...

Alex hit the Leader once more, finally shattering its jaw, then broke its other shoulder to immobilize both its arms. Then he ducked low and pulled his elbows close to his body. He forced his Biomass to build up pressure. Extreme pressure. Leader Hunters were tough, but he was certain a Devastator would be more than enough to take it out. Of course, he couldn't risk the Tendril Barrage or the Groundspikes...he needed something more focused.

That was why he didn't build up too much pressure, not like his Groundspikes that could take out an entire building, or the Tendrils that devastated a whole base. The Hunter roared and tried to come at him again, so Alex slapped both palms flat into the Hunter's chest.

Unleashing the pressure upon making contact with the Leader.

Parts of his chest armor, his arms and palms simply  _shattered_ as massive tendrils shot out of his torso. The Leader Hunter made a choked sort of yelp, and Alex could distantly hear the crack of walls. 

For a moment, both stayed locked together until something snapped and the tentacles surged back into Alex's body, making him gasp involuntarily.

He had blown a hole straight through the Hunter's chest and three walls behind it, allowing him to see the red sky outside  _through_ its sternum. Wow. He had just developed his own sort of cannon blast.

The Hunter reeled. It was still clinging to life, but without its lungs or heart it was fading fast. Alex latched onto its face and pulled its head down, then instantly jabbed his feeding tendrils into it to devour it.

His body locked up as he dove into its memories, trying to figure out what it had done to Dana.

Again, he saw Greene, felt her eyes burrow through his skull as he dug deeper. Then he saw  _her_ . Dana. He witnessed how the Hunter took her, carried her away. He could sense its anger at him, when he tried to stop it, but it knew it couldn't kill the prey or let others kill it, so it had continued to flee. Had managed to shake the not-truly-sibling and take the prey to mother. Mother wanted the prey alive, to strengthen the siblings. So to mother the prey went. It had stopped shrieking at some point, and had gone limp. Pretended to be dead? Prey wasn't dead, and mother was  _pleased_ .

Good child, mother said. Good child.

Alex grunted and got up, stepping over the dry carcass and towards the exit hole his 'small' Devastator had torn. He easily swung himself out and climbed back to the roof, looking to the north. He had recognized the Hive, had recognized the building the Leader had taken Dana to.

_Columbia University_ . Alex's eyes narrowed.  _Hold on Dana, I'm coming._

 


	18. Making the Future

 

 Alex did not go to the Columbia University first. No matter how much he wanted to get Dana back, he did not have the edge over Greene. She had effortlessly knocked him into a wall on their first meeting. And despite him having grown a lot stronger, he did not want to waste any time on trying to take her down. Not when she was in her Hive where she had access to her armies. He wanted her gone as fast as possible, so she wouldn't interfere with him.

That was why he was heading back to St. Paul's.

The military base stationed there was buzzing with activity. No doubt they had gotten word about ZEUS tearing through their men and civilians in the Blue Zone. Alex carefully slowed down and snuck across the roofs, staying out of range of the viral scanners down there. He set down gently at the loading dock to Ragland's morgue, then headed inside after making sure nobody was watching.

He paused outside of the man's realm and briefly checked with his thermal vision whether he was present at all. Somebody was, and he was pretty sure who, so Alex rapped his knuckles against the metal door and entered.

Ragland lifted his head, expression relaxed. “Ah, hello Alex.” He cleared his throat. “Am I right to assume you have managed to get what you wanted?”

“Yes”, he replied, “I know where Dana is. And Greene.” He cocked his head. “The parasite?”

Ragland turned and grabbed a syringe. “Ready for use. Make sure to inject it into soft tissue”, he handed it over. Alex watched the insides of the syringe squirm in an attempt to get free. He shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans, ignoring its frantic scrabbling against the walls of its prison. He wasn't afraid of it. Not anymore.

“Thank you, Ragland”, he said simply.

The coroner nodded. “You're welcome. I hope you'll find your sister.”

Alex paused at the exit, glancing back. “I'll be back soon.” Then he left, headed back outside and immediately went back to the rooftop.

Columbia University. Greene was there. And she had Dana.

And to get Dana back, he was going to kill Greene. And everything that stood between them.

* * *

 

Alex stopped atop the public library, staring at the sprawling Hive that covered Columbia. It was different to normal Hives. No cysts along the walls, the fleshy matter that covered it was nearly black instead of red, and the temperature around was much higher, so parts of the Biomass were  _glowing_ from the excess heat it was producing . Thick strands of Biomass anchored the Hive into the ground like the roots of a rainforest giant. He had seen something similar already. He knew of four more Hives around Westside and Harlem that were constructed similarly, but he could tell that this Hive had a better defense than they did. Not only where the layers of mass thicker, but there were more Walkers than normal Infected. They were going to defend this area to the blood. Because in the the Business School wing was the core of the Hive. Greene was there, the original Runner. The Queen inside her palace.

It must have grown in an extremely short amount of time, because Blackwatch would have taken it out before it would have turned to these proportions. But that didn't matter now- he was there, and he was going to find a way in.

Alex leapt over to get to the complex at the lower west corner of the university. The roof did not crack. Not like buildings cracked. Not like  _Hives_ cracked normally. Alex's eyes narrowed and he crouched down, testing the material. Tough chitin instead of soft flesh. Like his Armor.

He frowned and shifted to his Hammerfists, slamming them down  _hard_ . He was able to flatten tanks with this. The Hive didn't even shudder. The chitinous surface was simply too tough. He had no doubts they would probably withstand an assault with his Devastators as well. 

But he was so  _close_ . So close to get Dana back- and now he couldn't crack the Hive and get to her.

_**KRATHOOM** _

Alex ducked out of instinct and instantly searched for the source of the explosion to find out whether it was a threat to him. Tanks. The military obviously came to the same conclusion as he did, that Greene was at the core of the Hive, and were trying to crack the Hive themselves. Only, like his Hammerfists, the depleted uranium shells didn't even put a dent into the dense mass.

They didn't get through either, and since he was out of ideas he decided to listen to their chatter. He might find a clue that way.

Alex moved closer, trying to find somebody who had a radio, somebody he could either eavesdrop or consume. He quickly found a group of Marines near the journalism wing. They were busy watching for the Infected while a group of tanks tore through the hordes of Walkers and Hunters. As Alex glanced at them, he witnessed how several tanks shot at the Core Hive at the same time, only for the material to swallow any damage with no apparent harm done to the structure.

He turned his attention back to the Marines, and easily picked out the commanding officer of the troop. They didn't notice him. The men had their backs to the building he was on, so Alex eased down the wall head first, his fingers digging securely into the chitinous surface to hold him there. More as an afterthought, he pulled his Armor over his form. While not exactly the same appearance, the dark chitin of the Core Hive resembled his shell enough that with the upcoming dusk nobody was going to notice. As long they didn't look too closely, that was. One Marine actually threw a cursory glance into his direction, and Alex froze. The man furrowed his brows, but shrugged and looked away, dismissing him.

Alex exhaled slowly and inched closer to the ground.

“That's confirmed here, Command”, the Marine leader spoke into his radio, “You're gonna need something heavier to pierce this material.”

Alex paused and put his entire focus on the reply.  _“Bravo Team, we have heavy armament coming your way. Pull back to the Fireball perimeter and await reinforcements.”_ He inclined his head. If Blackwatch has the hardware that could crack these Hives apart, he could use it to reach Dana. It was worth to check it out.

Satisfied with the results, he was about to climb back upwards, when his body went rigid. Greene's voice was bellowing through the Hive Mind, loud enough that even he noticed it- and he had cut his connection.

_Rend them! Devour their flesh!_

And the Hive answered.

Unnoticed by the soldiers, the Infected zeroed in on them as the easiest prey in the area. And all of them surged out of the Hive to attack them. That, at least, they noticed. They yelled in alarm and yanked their weapons into position. To Alex, it would have been the perfect moment to get away and look for the armament Blackwatch had promised.

_They are the shock troops. They move in to take the losses. When the city is burned to the ground, they take the fall._

The Marines were just another tools for Blackwatch. To be used and discarded. And unlike Blackwatch, Alex held no dislike for the Marines. So when the first Walkers charged towards the troop of Marines, Alex launched himself off the wall he was sticking to and bodily tackled into the first of the Infected. His much greater mass and speed turned the one he hit to mist in an instant.

“Shit!” One of the Marines yelped, “That's ZEUS!”

_No. Really?_ Alex rolled his eyes behind his face plate, grabbed two Walkers and smashed them together, shattering their skulls like melons. In one motion, he whirled around and let his Whipfist slice in a half circle in front of him, slashing through several Infected at once before the clawed tip slammed hard into a Hunter and threw it off balance. Alex immediately yanked his arm back and swiftly changed it to his Blade, just as the Hunter lunged at him. He stepped to the side, letting it overshoot its target, before he swung around and brought the bladed edge down like an ax. The Hunter's head came clean off.

The sound of machine guns going off was like a thunder clap- deafeningly loud on the university campus. He sensed the impact of high speed bullets more than he actually felt them- his shell muted his feeling of pain greatly after all- and he turned more or less annoyed towards the Marine group. The projectiles didn't get through his Armor, but it was distracting all the same.

Alex snorted and flicked his left arm to the side, turning it into his Claw, before he stomped down and snarled loudly at the Marines. Several of them jumped a little, much to his satisfaction, though he couldn't enjoy their fear too long. The Infected were still coming. With a grunt, he pulled himself away and charged the Walkers, whirling with his Blade outstretched to hack through several of them in one swing. He seized another Infected with his free talon and just crushed its skull, then used its body to throw it at another group. Another Hunter collided with him, though his armor easily swallowed the blow. Alex snarled and jabbed his elbow blade into the thing's face to get it to back off, then spun around and cleaved its skull right in halves.

“Uh sir?” He heard one of the Marines speak up in confusion as he bisected a Walker. “Is ZEUS...fighting against the Infected?”

_No, it is just looking that way._ Alex scoffed, turning his attention back to the crowd that continued to surge towards him in a flood of bodies and limbs. He swiftly dropped to one knee and jabbed his claw into the ground, channeling his Biomass through it. Seconds later, a cluster of story-tall spikes broke from the floor, shredding a large portion of the Infected to bits.

Alex pulled them back just in time for a volley of high caliber bullets to tear through the remaining horde when the tanks that had assaulted the Core Hive finally rolled off the university grounds, cleaning up the place in the process. Alex growled under his breath when a tank shell impacted into his Armor, making it creak in protest and throwing him off balance. He grunted, but was back on his feet fast enough. He glared at the Abrams coming at him, briefly toying with the idea to smash them. But that would be counter-productive to what he had planned and he would be wasting even  _more_ time.

Instead, he weaved his way between the three tanks and lunged at the Marines as soon he had gotten the tank crews confused. The men in front of him jerked back, swearing, because now it seemed as if their adversary had merely picked off the Infected to have the men to himself. Alex couldn't care less what they thought. He headed straight for the closest man, plowing through a hailstorm of bullets without a care. The man yelled in shock, then terror when Alex snatched his collar in an iron-like grip. That earned him alarmed shouts, and he paused for a moment. He turned his head slightly, glared at the commander and locked eyes with him. Then, while still staring at the man deadpan, he casually plucked the radio off the Marine's shoulder, simply dropped the man and instantly jumped off the ground and against the wall, sprinting up towards the roof the next moment. He left a group of startled but  _living_ Marines behind.

“Shit! What the fuck _was_ that?!”

“No-No idea, sarge-”

“It just _grabbed_ you!”

“Only stole the radio, though.”

“What the _fuck_?!”

“Thing's a fucking magpie.”

This was what made the Marines more sympathetic to Alex, he realized as he rushed away from Columbia while pulling back his Armor with one thought. Blackwatch wouldn't bother taking care of their guys. For having that close contact as they had with him, Blackwatch would have put a bullet into the man's head, even their own. If they hadn't used the tanks to blow them sky-high before that, that is. It was inhuman, more than he would ever be. But to Blackwatch it was  _normal_ . It was their creed, their mantra.  _We'll burn our own to hold the Red Line_ . It made sense- anybody that had too much contact to the virus was a potential carrier, could not be allowed inside the Blue Zones to prevent the spread. It was very  _drastic_ , though, and in most cases a completely needless waste of lives.

But these drastic measures were the only thing that prevented any further infections, and blaming Blackwatch for the lives they took would be hypocrisy. Alex himself had probably killed more than Blackwatch and the Marines combined, and he found an outlet in slaughtering at random- Infected, but he did not care who also got caught in the crossfire. And blaming it on his nature wouldn't redeem him either.

However, redemption was moot at this point anyways. He had done far too much damage to Blackwatch, the Marines and the city already, had taken so much from them so no change of heart was ever going to make him a saint. But he did not give a flying fuck about anybody else. All he cared about was Dana. Dana, who had every right to be repulsed and terrified of him, but simply did  _not_ . She still wanted him to be with her, even after everything that had happened. And this was all that mattered to him. This was why he had to get her back. He had to make everything right again. 

“ _Hammer approaching position”_ His newly acquired radio chimed. Alex furrowed his brows and stopped at the highest point he could find. He had no idea where the 'Fireball perimeter' was, or _what_ this so-called 'Hammer' could be. He could have known if he had consumed that Marine instead of just pinching the communication gear. But they wouldn't have been able to harm him anyways and he had enough Biomass left, so there had been no need to do so. He glanced to the south thoughtfully. There were other ways to find Blackwatch's secret weapon.

Like following the swarm of Apaches that were slowly making their way northwards.

Alex instantly moved towards West 90 th , carefully keeping close to the rooftops to prevent detection. The noise he caused just by  _running_ was easily covered up by the roar of the Apache's rotors and the weapon discharge from several tanks. He could feel the building beneath tremble as he came to a stop and looked down into the street. Six Abrams- four Marine Green and two Blackwatch Black- were rolling along Amsterdam Avenue. The six were taking up the whole width of the street, enclosing a seventh black tank. Alex paused and did a double-take.

The seventh tank used to be an Abrams, but it had been heavily modified. Its armor plating was thicker, covering its treads and terminating in thick spiked shields on either side at the front. Its main cannon was seemingly rebuild with stronger metal. The most eye-catching difference were the two additional cannons mounted to its turret.

The 'Hammer', as Blackwatch called it. A special tank to crack the Hive? It looked powerful enough, and the convoy around it meant it was important.

The three tanks from Columbia University joined them at that moment, though the ground troops were nowhere to be seen. Which meant whatever they were planning was too dangerous for humans without any sort of protection. Too dangerous...to do what? Alex glanced back, eying the Armored Hive near Columbus Square. He understood immediately.

They were going to assault it.

He was going to stick around, then. If anything could crack the chitinous hide of those Hives, then it would be useful to get into the Core Hive and rescue Dana. So he trailed after the convoy, watched how the six Abrams around the Hammer plowed down whatever Infected dared to show its face around.

A flash of bright light blinded him for a moment, and he stopped, swearing as he yanked his arms up to shade his eyes.  _“Red Crown!”_ His radio squealed and his heart dropped,  _“ZEUS located!”_ Alex cursed under his breath, carefully peeking from behind his raised arms to squint at the Apache that was keeping its spotlights right on him.  _“What are we supposed to do?”_

Alex's body shifted as he activated his Musclemass and clenched his fists.

“ _Do not engage”_ , Red Crown suddenly ordered. _“Stand down. Do not engage ZEUS unless it engages you first. The Hammer has priority.”_

“ _Sir!”_

The Apache pulled back, dropping Alex back in darkness. Do not engage? Did they seriously did not give a shit about him?

Or was there something else?

His brows came down in a frown as he turned back to the Hive Mind. The hundred thousands of voices, all speaking at once, took his breath for a moment. As always, it was overwhelming, especially after the silence of his own head. And his own head was not silent- but it was more restrained than the Hive.

Still, even here was order. And unlike the first time he listened, the orders were clear now.

_Protect the nests. Protect the Mother._ _Rend the prey._

Alex hissed as his world turned back to normal. Greene had pulled the Infected back, had drawn them to protect the Armored Hives and the Core Hive.

Above him, an Apache suddenly shattered into twisted metal blackened plastic, while a Hunter crashed hard into the street, injured but alive from its assault. Without thinking, he shot off the building he was on, arm writhing and twisting to his Blade as he headed downwards. He darted across the pavement, a mere blur against the dusk, and slammed into the Hunter with enough force his Blade was driven through its chest down to his own shoulder. The Hunter screeched in agony when his tendrils came out and ensnared its body, only to tear it to shreds and consume every bit of it.

He crushed the remains beneath his heel and turned to glare at the convoy. They had orders to not engage him unless he assaulted them first. And at the moment, their goals aligned perfectly. This 'Hammer' was their weapon against the Hives, important enough to ignore him unless he did something to piss them off. Which meant that he had to make sure this thing reached its destination unharmed.

So Alex spun around and charged the Hive, linking himself back to the Hive Mind. He had never been more than a foot note in the Hive, was always silent himself with only Greene being aware of his presence.

Not this time.

“I AM HERE!” He roared into the Hive Mind. “COME AND GET ME!”

And the Hive reacted. He was louder than Greene was, a larger threat than the military; so all of the Infected surged towards his position. Alex grit his teeth and formed his Armor, glaring at the sheer amount of foes rushing towards him.  _Not yet. Not yet._

He crouched down, shielding the radio. He couldn't let it get destroyed in the mass of Infected.

“ _What the Hell?!”_

“ _Are they...attacking ZEUS?!”_

Alex grunted when the first Walkers collided with him.  _Not yet. Not yet._

More swarmed him, crowded into the area in front of the Armored Hive. More than he had ever seen before. It was a sea of bodies. All of them trying to get a shot at him. He ducked lower and dug his feet into the ground.  _Not yet._

Hunters shot at him, barreling their way through their lesser siblings, claws blazing as they tried to destroy him. His Armor groaned in protest, his shell was already cracking in places. If not for the tightly packed group converging around him, he would be knocked through the air like a ragdoll.

_Not yet._

Three Hydras broke from the ground, roaring. Alex's eyes narrowed.

_Yet._

His body exploded outwards in a tightly packed ball of massive tendrils and spikes. Nothing within a radius of a hundred feet survived. The Hydras, the Hunters, the Infected- all of them were shorn to bits and pieces. He heard an agonized shriek wail loudly through the Hive Mind. Thousand of voices- all of them had fallen silent at once.

His tendrils snapped back to him as Alex growled and rose from the crouch he had been in, drawing back his Armor and surveying his handiwork.

“ _In the name of...”_

“ _Holy Fuck!”_ Alex glanced at the convoy of tanks, which had approached his position by now. He could nearly _taste_ their fear. Their horror. No wonder, they had just witnessed him kill at least ten blocks worth of Infected with a _single_ blow. He was regretting it already, the Devastator had been larger than any others before and he had burned off a nice bit of his Biomass in the process. He felt like somebody had repeatedly jabbed burning hot rods of metal into his body. But it was a good hurting. For a while they just stood there- military and him, neither moving.

Then he noticed the tanks stop suddenly and parting away to let the Hammer drive to the front.

“ _Okay folks. Clear the target area.”_

Alex decided that 'folks' included him as well and quickly rocketed off the floor to get to the roof of the building nearby. Despite the various swears coming through the communication, the military let him, instead focusing on the area.

The Hammer aimed the two additional cannons. The gunner squeezed the trigger and time seemed to stop.

The world turned gray and mute for a moment, until the roar of fire and the groan of the Hive drowned out every other noise and nearly deafened him. He ducked back behind his arm, but the ball of fire still ate away at his skin and burnt his eyes- and he did have enough distance that even an Air Strike wouldn't have harmed him. But this- this condensed fire- it was more than he ever expected. The air around him was gone for a moment as well, eaten up by the intense flames- until everything stopped and turned back to normal. Alex waited for a moment and dared to peek over his arm.

The Hive was devastated. A giant burning hole had been torn into its front, and the insides were scorched beyond recognition. Without anything to hold it together, the building's shell collapsed into a cloud of dust and rubble.

“ _Good work! Now let's tidy up this Red Zone!”_

The convoy continued moving, heading towards the next Armored Hive. Alex stared after them. That hadn't been a normal shell.

This had been a  _Thermobaric_ Weapon.

“Holy shit”, Alex muttered as he followed the troop. “I think I now know what I want.”

* * *

 

“ _Fuck. Is that thing still out there?”_

“ _Yeah.”_

“ _Shouldn't we be killing this thing?”_

“ _Orders were not to engage. The Hammer's our priority.”_

Alex scoffed at their chatter. It was almost as if they were too dense to realize what he was doing- namely, protecting the convoy. Because he needed the Thermobaric weapon to crack open the Core Hive, and since there were still Armored Hives to deal with, he had no choice but to trail after them and make sure they'd reach Greene.

It was dark night by now, with only the Apache's spotlights giving some illumination as they approached the last Armored Hive. It didn't bother him too much since they mostly left him alone. He had caught a few bullets from running into the crossfire already, but those damages had healed over instantly, and with the sheer amount of Infected around, he had more than enough snacks to fix himself if the urge ever came up.

It shouldn't be that they  _needed_ his support, but after the first Hive fell, the Infected had changed their tactics.

They no longer listened to him, instead of all of them surging at one target, they fanned out and assaulted the entire convoy at the same time. Alex did have a hard time trying to prevent the Hunters from taking out the helicopters, as they were the safest bet against the Walkers on the ground. He hadn't always been successful, since they already lost two Abrams and three choppers by the time they had approached the third Hive.

And, as always, the Hunters had been the first ones to jump as soon they got too close. Not at him- rarely at him- but rather directly at the Thermobaric tank. And even when assaulting the others in the convoy, they always retreated to stick close to the Hammer.

Because they knew perfectly well how precious this vehicle was to them, and their close proximity to it prevented the soldiers from using the more effective main cannon at them. And with the swarm of Infected around, they also didn't dare to send someone out to use the mounted machine gun.

Which made Alex effectively the only one able to deal with the threat. He tore through them, shredded them whenever he saw them, knocked them out of the air to protect the helicopters.

The Marines, at least, understood what he was doing and tried to tidy up the area around the Hive, clearing it from Walkers and Hunters to allow the Hammer to do its job. The Hives had fallen, and now only one remained. The Infected were livid, were trying to stop the military from taking more.

“ _Approaching target site. All system are go. Clean out the rabble for the Hammer.”_ Several tanks left the convoy and moved to the front, while the remaining choppers swooped down to lure the Infected out of their hiding holes. Alex remained on the roof of the small hotel just south of the Hive, watching intently. He saw a group of Walkers rushing towards the Thermobaric tank. They _knew_ this was the largest threat to them. So they tried to take it out first.

He wouldn't let them. He  _needed_ that tank to get Dana back. So he lunged off the roof and crossed the distance between them in one bound. His arm twisted into his Whipfist even before he hit the street, and once he did, he lashed out, tore the Infected to pieces in a wide swing. He heard the tank's engine idle, and the sound its turret made as it turned, so he quickly dove to the side to avoid the high explosive shell that ripped through the space his head had been a moment before and blew up the remaining Walkers.

“ _Fuck! There's one of those big guys----!”_ A Blackwatch tank nearby exploded in a violent ball of fire. Alex whirled around, teeth bared and eyes narrowed on the Leader Hunter that peeled itself out of the smoke. He charged it, and the Leader mirrored him, lunging across the street. Alex rolled to the side in the last moment, got behind it- and slammed his Blade into its hind legs with all might, slashing through its tendons. The Hunter stumbled and crashed hard into the ground, sliding from its own momentum a good distance until it stilled.

By then, Alex had switched to the Hammerfists and ducked low, then once the Leader was down, he shot straight skywards.

He brought the Hammerfists down with all his might, shattering the Leader's skull and spine in one fierce blow. The beast howled out in agony, Alex grit his teeth and channeled mass from one fist into the other to enlarge it. Then he slammed it down to shut the Leader off, cracking the street while at it.

“ _Holy shit”_ , his radio warbled. _“Red Crown? Wouldn't it be better to stop ZEUS?”_

“ _Negative. Finish the mission. Do not engage unless ZEUS engages you first.”_

Alex furrowed his brows. Why the Hell did they ignore him the way they did now? He was their prime target, wasn't he?

Or maybe they too tried to get at Greene. Possibly? Blackwatch had taken her from Hope, after all; had kept her for years until they handed her off to Gentek.

Which meant in return that he had to make sure nothing remained of her or Redlight to prevent another Hope or Manhattan. He just needed to make sure the tank reached the Core Hive in one piece.

The others were doing fine so far, just another Leader Hunter that was currently pinned down by two Abrams, and a swarm of Walkers that was blown to bits by the remaining Apaches. But...Alex inclined his head. He could  _sense_ the Infected, even without the Hive Mind. There were more around here, yet they did not attack. Something...something was going on.

And then he felt it. A minute tremor, not much, not more than a distant subway train moving along beneath the street.

Only that the subways weren't running.

“Shit” Alex shifted to the Musclemass in an instant and threw his weight against the Thermobaric tank. His feet skidded over the ground for a second, before he managed to get a hold and bodily shove the tank across the street. He heard startled yells from the inside, though they weren't loud enough to cover up the crack of the ground. A Hydra shot upwards, missing the tank by mere inches though it hit and catapulted Alex through the air. If he hadn't moved the Hammer away, it would have ended up like he was- with the only exception that he could easily catch himself and right his position. The Hydra screeched and whipped its body into the vehicle with so much force, the Thermobaric tank shook violently, and parts of its armor snapped off.

“ _Hammer!”_ Red Crown demanded, _“Hammer! Come in!!”_

No reply.

Alex scowled and slammed into the Hydra the next moment, making it screech and lose its balance before it could wind up for another strike. He had to take this bastard out  _fast_ , so it wouldn't be able to damage the tank any more.

The Hydra slammed its beak into his side, sending him flailing back across the street and into a parked car.

“Son of a-” Alex freed himself from the twisted wreckage, ripped it off the floor and threw it with all might at the Infected. The creature swayed back, shrieking. 

Then its face exploded. An Abrams came up from the side and fired another shell at the snake, completely blowing its head off. Its body collapsed into the street. At the same time, hordes of Infected flooded the streets, shrieking and screeching, rushing towards the Thermobaric tank.

“ _Fuck! Somebody get someone over there!”_ Alex glanced at the tank that had just killed the Hydra, then at the Thermobaric tank. They were going to send soldiers to man the vehicle and continue their mission. That would take some time, though. He shot another glare at the Infected. They would need time they didn't have. Not before these bastards tore the tank to shreds.

But Alex did have the abilities. The qualifications. This was his chance.

He set off and sprinted over to the damaged Hammer, easily jumping up to land besides the hatch. He shifted his hand back to their normal shape, then slipped tendrils beneath the lid.

Prying it open.

“ _What the?!”_

“ _Red Crown! ZEUS- ZEUS is attempting to hijack the Hammer!”_

“ _Stop it! Do not damage the Hammer!”_

_Good luck there, guys_ , Alex thought grimly as he slipped inside. Six Marines were sprawled throughout the tank. He knelt down next to the closest soldier on the floor. Unconscious, with a nasty gash on his head. He would survive, though.

Three were in similar states, two were dead however. Alex had no need for Biomass and no need for further bloodshed (though he most certainly  _could_ , just to make a statement), so he simply pulled them out of their seats and dropped them on the floor before taking control of the Thermobaric tank.

He yanked the controls around and pressed down the pedal. The tank lurched to the front with a howl, accompanied by the shrieks of the Infected outside and swears screeching from the radio.

“ _Holy fuck! ZEUS has taken control of the Hammer! I repeat! ZEUS has taken control of the Hammer!”_

“ _Red Crown?! What are we supposed to do?”_

Alex scoffed.  _So what? You can't stop me. I am going to get Dana back._ He yanked the controls around and crushed several of the Infected before he switched to reverse and backed out. The Infected were surging after him, though they weren't fast enough to actually catch up to him. So he checked the loading status. Two shells were still loaded, and about eight were left in total. Alex grabbed the radio and tapped it to reply. “ZEUS to all units”, he said, relishing in the swears he heard from the other side. “Clear the target area.”

He fired one shell right into the middle of the horde. The explosion was immense, melted large parts of the street beneath and turned the entire crowd to dust in an instant.

“Oh God. Yes.” Alex grinned as he put the tank back into drive, then targeted the Hive. He shot the other Thermobaric shell at it, reducing the last Armored Hive to rubble and ashes.

“Next stop: Greene.”

The Hammer howled out and shot down the street.

“ _God damnit! What the fuck is going on?!”_

_I'm saving your asses_ .  _That's what's going on_ . He glanced at the screens, noticing how the other tanks and remaining Apaches took up pursuit, then to the GPS map that showed the Core Hive marked as target. The Thermobaric tank was slower than the others, because it was way heavier, but he doubted that Blackwatch was going to damage it. They probably would try to cut him off and try to drag him out of their precious vehicle. 

Too bad he wouldn't give this up for anything in the world. He weaved his tendrils throughout the whole tank and took control of the different stations. He didn't need to  _look_ , knew perfectly well what to do from  _experience_ . 

One of the other Abrams caught up to him, and Alex yanked the controls around, sliding around a corner at Manhattan and 109 th to shake his pursuers for a moment.

“ _What is the status on this, over?”_

“ _ZEUS is still in possession of the Hammer, sir. I suggest lethal force.”_

“ _Negative. Randall will have your heads if you destroy the vehicle. Cut it off.”_

“ _Understood, Red Crown.”_

“Not going to let you, guys”, he scoffed. “I'm going to finish this.” He cut another corner, then ground down on the gas to race along Morningside Drive. He could see the Infected gathering, trying to cut him off- and several Hydras popped up around him.

“Oh, shut it”, he snarled, and fired off another shell. The incendiary weapon reduced a large part of the city park and the Infected within to ashes, and set much of the street on fire. Alex didn't even slow down, but rather simply plowed through the inferno- the thicker armor sheets of the Hammer and the speed he was going at were protecting him well enough, while his pursuers most likely stopped and looked for another way, and the helicopters were rendered blind from the pitch-black plumes of smoke.

By the time they would have caught up with him, he would be finished with Greene's Hive.

So he followed the street and shot around the corner at 116 th , then sped up as much as he could to barrel right into the Columbia University campus. He ran over several Infected on the way as his vehicle slid around the Visitor's center when he finally kicked the breaks and his tank came to a stop almost immediately.

Alex snorted and aimed the second Thermobaric shell at the Infected that surged out of the Hive to stop him.

They went up in flames as well, burnt to nothing. Alex leaned back, strapping in two new shells. “I'm coming, Greene”, he growled and squeezed the trigger. Both shells impacted into the upper floor of the Hive. The chitin was tougher than the Armored Hives had been, but even it found its match. With an ear-splitting creak, a massive hole burst open inside the Hive. Alex stood up, dropped the radio and climbed out of the tank, eyes narrowing on the entrance. “I'm coming to kill you.”

 


	19. Children of Blacklight

 

There wasn't much left of the Business Wing of the Columbia University. Like the Mount Sinai Hospital, most of the internal walls had been torn out, shredded to bits with the Hive having taken over the function of carrying the weight of the roof. However, unlike the Armored Hives, the Core Hive was barely damaged from the blow Alex used to crack it open. Its hide had absorbed most of the damage of the Thermobaric shells, leaving behind only a hole. But its insides were still intact, still writhing with the Infection. There was no ash around, no burnt Biomass. If the chitin had been any thicker, then even the Thermobaric tank wouldn't have had a chance to get through in one go.

Alex landed harshly on a catwalk on the inside with a resounding  _clang_ , and looked around. It seemed as if this had been the auditorium in the past. Or maybe an elevator shaft with maintenance walkways, he corrected his previous thought when he spied the remains of an elevator nearby. There wasn't much left besides its attachment and the cables, everything else was far below in the rubble and flesh coating the floor. Some parts of the crawl spaces in between the floors remained stubbornly where they had been and there were some alcoves and remains of rooms along the walls, but most of it had completely caved in.

Somewhere here was Dana. And he was going to find her.

Silent steps echoed from behind him, and he turned around, eyes narrowing on Elizabeth Greene. The woman was slowly walking along a second walkway, hips swaying gently as she idly dragged a finger over the handrail, trailing the corruption along the metal. But even when she appeared  _human_ , her entire motion was robotic. As if something was plucking her strings and made her move like a puppet. She wasn't human. Not anymore.

But she also wasn't like the Infected out there. She was the one who controlled them, the center of Redlight itself. Here inside the Hive she was at her strongest. It would be a mistake to underestimate her. But he was going to fight her. To end all of this.

Alex turned to face Greene, locking eyes with her. “Where is she?”

Greene's expression was still incredibly blank as she leaned a bit to the front. “She's with us now.” He voice was no more than a whisper with multiple echoes, but it still made every cell of Alex's body coil. His back bristled and his eyes widened by a fraction. “What do you mean?” He snapped. What had she done to his sister?

Greene didn't answer, just tilted her head slightly, watching him. It made his blood boil. There was no answer, only more questions. He was going to kill her. Over and over and over again. He was going to get Dana back. And Greene would not be able to stop him.

“What the Hell are you?” He snarled, lips curling upwards.

“The reason”, Greene replied.

Alex grit his teeth. This wasn't an answer- this was just another question. He yanked the syringe out and held it in his fist like a knife. “For what?!” What the fuck did she mean with this?

Greene leaned to the front, and there was the ghost of a grin on her expression. “Everything” Suddenly she leapt off the catwalk, screwing herself as high as the ceiling allowed. Alex was taken back for a split second, then instantly pushed off himself, intending to tackle the much smaller female out of mid-air and kill her.

The moment they met, however, Greene let her body fall to the side. Her slender fingers were like iron shackles on his wrists, locking him to her. Mass meant nothing in mid-air, and Greene's shift of her point of balance changed Alex's as well. With the momentum he brought with him, Greene more or less flipped both of them around several times. Alex snarled, tried to break the iron hold she had on his wrists or get the syringe closer to her while also fighting to keep his orientation.

He quickly realized that Greene was atop him, feet pressed against his stomach. She seemed to smirk briefly, then suddenly let go of his wrists while at the same time delivering a powerful kick to his stomach to flip back towards the ceiling and send him careening into the remains of the crawl space. The metal cracked and groaned when he slammed hard into it back first, knocking all breath from his lungs.

_That could have gone better..._

Alex grunted and lifted his head, eyes focusing on the dark spot high above him that was Greene. She was currently holding to the elevator cables like it was a swing, watching him curiously.

Alex growled and was about to sit back up when Greene pounced off her perch, both feet hitting his chest as the force of her impact sent both of them sliding across the metal ground. In the same moment, she quickly shifted her hold on him, her knees clamping down on either side of his hips, while her hands clawed into his shoulders. Her face was only inches away from his, when everything stopped.

Greene had frozen for a moment when suddenly her pulse sped up. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out asides from a few gasps. She started choking, blood and phlegm dripping from her mouth down onto Alex's face. He grimaced, pressing his lips into a tight line as blood started to flow from Greene's face.

“You _hurt_ me”, she whispered when her once green eyes turned pitch black and thick, red blood dripped down her cheeks. Alex growled barely audible, tightening his hold on the syringe that was buried deep in her neck to force the parasite into its new host.

Suddenly Greene screeched and jerked away with an agonized shriek as blood fountained from her throat and mouth. She staggered back and collapsed to her knees and hands, shaking like mad. Alex sat up, pulled his knees close to his body to shift his position into a crouch. Watching her. Watching what was happening.

The woman retched and the shaking turned into violent tremors. Then she threw up.

Not bile, but blood and tissues.

Entirely  _too much_ blood and tissues.

And it was  _bubbling_ . Alex's eyes widened when the matter suddenly pulled itself together and condensed its form, even as Greene continued to choke.

Then it started to  _grow_ .

Alex took a startled step back when the form began growling as bones and muscles set into overgrown shapes. It snarled, just as Greene finally caught herself and immediately scuttled backwards into the dark.

But he couldn't chase after her. Not with this... _thing_ there.

It was tall, easily two to three times his height, and stood entirely upright unlike its siblings, the Hunters. It skin was mostly colored pink and still coated with tissues and blood from its birth, but its entire right arm was coated in dark armor and terminated in a giant paw with four short stubby claws. Its left arm seemed mostly normal but its hand was a short and malformed blade, one leg was grossly overmuscled and ended with a clubfoot, while the other looked disturbingly  _human_ . It snarled from its sickeningly human lip-less jaws, and its murky white eyes narrowed on him. Its nostrils flared and the massive sores around the right side of its face and along its torso started to glow eerily orange.

_Ah. Shit._

It lifted both mismatched arms with a roar, then slammed them down  _hard_ , shattering the metal platform and dropping both of them to the bottom of the Core Hive.

Alex bounced off the ground and got as much distance as somehow possible to this new type of Hunter. Somehow, this entire thing had gone south entirely  _too fast_ . Greene was gone already, had probably left the Hive by now- and where the Hell was Dana? Though before he could go looking for her, he had to take this new threat out. The big guy was in his way now. Alex growled and bared his teeth, his shape twisting and blurring as he pulled his Armor over his body.

“I don't know what you are”, he shouted at the beast, “But I know I'm going to kill you!”

The Hunter roared and dove for him. Alex instantly dodged to the side, avoiding the blow when the Hunter suddenly stopped and swung its blade in an arc, using the momentum from its own charge to whirl in place. Alex instantly dropped to his knees to prevent the attack from connecting, but his back crawled with the realization that this Hunter was in every aspect  _Supreme_ to the others. It was more...like him in combat.

But it wasn't as experienced as he was, the wild swing had pulled the Supreme Hunter around too far, so he shifted his stance and kicked off the floor. He crashed hard into the thing's side, sending it flailing to catch its balance.

Alex immediately changed to one Claw and the Blade and latched onto its back, slamming his Blade deep into its neck.

But something was  _wrong_ . With Hunters, the head would come clean off- while this thing simply  _healed up_ even as he tried to chop off its skull.

And this was  _a lot_ like him. Probably too much.

The Hunter roared and curled in on itself, and Alex felt its insides starting to writhe. Swearing, he instantly let go of it and dashed to the other side of the Hive when the Supreme Hunter exploded into hundreds of tendrils. Not as far as he could go, and neither as many tentacles- but it was similar.

This had been a Tendril Barrage Devastator. Like he could do.

But... _how_ ?!

The answer hit him like a ton of bricks and made his heart stop. Because this thing- this  _Supreme Hunter_ \- it had been the parasite he had injected into Greene. Instead of dying, Greene had rejected it from her body, along with Biomass, and it had grown into this Hunter in a shockingly short time.

However, before it had ended up in her body, it had been in  _his_ . The Supreme Hunter had grown from the bit of the parasite Ragland had cut out of the one that had stuck in his back- and the one he eventually killed had displayed an increased amount of self-awareness too  _and_ had his Devastator as well. This one too had all of this and its more human-like shape was proof enough that a large part of it had been determined by  _his_ DNA.

So this bastard was what would have happened if he hadn't managed to get the parasite out of his own body in time.  _Yikes_ .

Alex sprinted to the side and shifted to his Musclemass to rip a huge slab of concrete from the floor, whirling to throw it at the Supreme Hunter. It shattered upon contact, but the beast was flung off its feet too and crashed hard into the wall.

The Hunter instantly pounced at him again, snarling, as it slammed both arms down and caved in the floor where he had been just a moment before. Alex spun around and slammed his leg like a scythe into its throat, snapping  _something_ on its inside.

The beast reared back, howling in pain. Alex instantly followed up by throwing a fierce uppercut into its jaw, breaking it too. The Hunter reeled, but still managed to keep its balance as it swatted its massive paw at Alex. His Armor creaked, then cracked upon impact. It wasn't enough to  _get through_ , but it had badly damaged its surface. 

And then the Supreme Hunter  _roared_ out. Alex felt the Hive bristle and had just a split second to gasp when a Hydra broke from the ground right beneath him and catapulted him into the air. He snarled and air-dashed to the side to get some much needed distance when he noticed the swarm of Walkers, Hunters and the second Hydra that had crowded around the Supreme Hunter like an army awaiting orders from their leader.  _More of them. I need to finish the big guy._

He hit the wall and bounced off it, then tucked in his head and brought his arms up to send his own body into the ground like a bullet. He had aimed at the largest concentration of Walkers and was quickly rewarded with the sound of bodies splatter once his attack connected. His Armor swallowed up most of the impulse, so his recovery wasn't nearly as long as it had been when he first tried it (plus the lack in distance, it wasn't nearly as effective), though he had managed to get inside the crowd of Walkers. Without even waiting for his body to finish healing, he channeled his Biomass through one arm and shifted it into the Whipfist. He spun in a circle, shooting the whip out and trailing it after him as he effortlessly ripped all of the Walkers in his closer vicinity to pieces.

A Hunter jumped him, he kicked off the floor and dodged the attack, shifting back to his Blade to slam down like a living Guillotine to separate its head from its torso. In one swift motion, he ducked under the blow of another Hunter, then threw a Musclemass-enhanced uppercut into its lower jaw. The Hunter flew back and hit the ground in a heap, whining.

Then the Supreme Hunter suddenly pounced on Alex, its size and frame blotting out his sight as it bore down on him. Alex instantly ducked behind his Shield to absorb a fierce blow from the much larger Infected. His whole body shook from the impact and his Shield creaked, with parts of it actually snapping off. He growled and dug his Blade into the floor, channeling parts of his Biomass through it. The Hunter must have noticed it, because it suddenly jerked back and away from him. But it wasn't fast enough to completely avoid the cluster of Groundspikes. Parts of its chest and limbs were torn apart, and Alex used the time to quickly sprint out of its vicinity. He tore another piece of concrete from the floor and chucked it at the still-healing Supreme Hunter, keeping it down.

That was when the entire Hive Mind  _shrieked_ . The four remaining Hunters and several Walkers suddenly pounced at him at the same time, while the Hydras screeched and yanked debris from the Hive to throw it at him. 

He had  _hurt_ the newest family member, was trying to  _kill_ it- and Redlight wasn't going to have any of it. So they were going to protect the newborn. Too bad they weren't paying attention. Alex ducked and pulled his arms closer to his body, building pressure inside of his body in tighter and tighter layers. As soon the Infected were close enough, he let it go. Firing off his own, superior Tendril Barrage Devastator.

His attackers stopped existing, and the Hive Mind screamed in pain. Alex stumbled a little from the excessive energy output, but was steady enough the next moment to dive to the side and avoid the thrown projectiles from the Hydras.

But the Infected kept swarming. They came from the ground, from somewhere deep within the Hive- and Alex had no clue how many there were still left. But he had to try, had to clear this place out before he could go look for Dana. As dangerous as it was at the moment- if everything tried to kill him, then they wouldn't pay attention to her. And he would take anything he could get as long she remained safe.

His Armor creaked in protest when he started to move- the damage he already accumulated was only healing slowly. Luckily, there were more than enough Infected around for a quick fix. Alex shot off the ground and latched onto the walls, flinging out his Whipfist to grab the closest Walker and reel it in. He swiftly consumed it, using its Biomass to patch his Armor- and then started moving again. Speeding up as much as possible despite his shell, Alex build up as much momentum as he could, then catapulted himself right over the crowd of Infected with the Supreme Hunter in their middle. Again he started building up pressure on his insides, grinding his teeth together when his entire frame was wrecked with pain. He shouldn't fire off too many Devastators at once, he knew, but time was crucial here. As long the enemy was still crowded together, he would be able to deal a lot of damage. So he ignored his own body in favor of focusing on his timing. As soon he hit the floor, he dug both fists deep into the soft tissue and channeled the pressure through them.

The ground cracked and warped when dozens of story-tall spears of condensed Blacklight Biomass broke through and impaled everything in their way. The Supreme Hunter had managed to avoid it, though most of its kin weren't as lucky.

No matter. Alex surged to the front and grabbed a badly injured Hunter to consume it and keep his energy levels up, before he spun around and dragged his Blade through the Walkers to disembowel them.

Two Hunters slammed into him that moment, throwing him off balance for longer than he would have liked. Alex snarled and yanked the Blade back, stabbing the first into its face with the elbow spur, while throwing his leg up and kicking the other back. He used the momentum of his attack to virtually corkscrew himself around and latch onto the Hunter behind his body. He dug both feet hard into the ground, hefted the beast up, spun it around and slammed it hard into the second Hunter. Then he charged the Supreme Hunter, tucking in his head and shielding it with his arms to tackle it with the force of a truck. The larger beast swayed back, but managed to keep its balance as it swung its malformed clawed paw at him.

Alex let the blow connect, but offered no resistance so he could use the force of the impact to get away from the crowd. He had used two Devastators and wasn't currently feeling too hot. He'd keep his distance as much as possible until his body had mended.

The Supreme Hunter snarled once it noticed his escape and immediately set after him, though its deformed legs didn't allow it to run as fast as Alex did. However, he slowed down a bit, letting it catch up- before he jumped off and flipped over its back, shifting to the Hammerfists at the same time.

He swung them down hard at the same time, smashing both concrete fists into its skull and neck. The Hunter collapsed to the ground, howling in pain, so Alex immediately followed up with another attack. This time, however, another Hunter barreled into his back, throwing off his aim and balance and saving its sibling from getting its head pulped into paste.

Alex swore and spun around, fists melting into his Musclemass to grab its wrists and stop the Hunter from tearing into his Armor. The beast snarled right into his face, jaws snapping shut just inches from the smooth plate. He scowled and yanked at its frame, easily dislocating one of its arms and pulling the other right out of its socket.

The Supreme Hunter roared, and Alex's world stopped.

Tentacles as thick as his legs speared into every direction, tearing the Hunter, Walkers nearby and one Hydra apart even as the blow connected with him and ripped through his Armor like it was made of wet tissue. Alex gasped as agony flooded through his body from the several impact points where the steel-like tendrils had pierced his shell. Pinned in place, nowhere to go.

Then the  _panic_ set in.

His Claws were formed in an instant when he started to slice into the thick material that had forced its way through his body even while choking on his own blood. He ripped off the one that had slammed through his neck first, before he started with those that had went into his lungs. He was sure if he hadn't been in his Armor, the blow would have torn more tissue apart than it had done now, the shell had absorbed most of the impact and protected his organs. Was probably the only reason he was still lucid. But it still hurt like a bitch. (Maybe he was feeling a little sorry for those he subjected to  _this_ )

The tendrils snapped back to its origin and Alex bit back a curse when the barbed tentacles dragged through his body and undid what he had already fixed, letting him drop to the floor in a heap of shattered bones and torn flesh. His chest was expanding rapidly as he tried to force air back into his ruined lungs.

The Supreme Hunter stomped down with a growl, crashing its clubfoot hard into his torso to crack his Armor further. Alex snarled in reply as he jabbed one claw into the ground for leverage and shifted the other into his blade, violently jabbing it up and tearing into the bigger Infected's knee and hip to force it to back off. As soon its weight was off his chest, Alex kicked both legs out and knocked the thing over, then instantly scrambled back to his feet and got the Hell out of its reach. His body was mostly ruined, but he was already healing- impalement wasn't as harmful as having bits blown off, at least to him, since he didn't lose much mass in the process. He just had to bring everything back into shape.

His Armor was another story altogether- its rigid carapace already healed slower than his normal skin, but from the continued punishment it had taken it was already pretty beaten up, and any further hits would get through. Now more a liability than protection, Alex pulled it back. It would render him more vulnerable, but also allowed him to go faster for a while until he could re-summon his shell. And in a big open room like this agility might be preferable. Alex shot off the floor and headed straight for the ceiling, shifting to the Hammerfists at the same time.

Then he came back down like a meteor, crushing his fists into the floor with so much strength he caved in a good section of it and killed two Hunters and a bunch of Walkers. The Supreme Hunter lunged at him, claws blazing, though he easily dove to the side and got out of its reach before it even finished its swing. It made a confused noise at his sudden speed as it turned around, but by then Alex had reached a pile of rubble and grabbed another slab of concrete. He whirled and threw it at the much larger beast, then dashed to the side to where he had seen some rebar beams lying around. A normal Hunter tried to jump him, but he easily ducked, let it sail over his head as he grabbed a steel bar off the ground. He was off the floor the next moment, just in time to avoid the remaining Hydra trying to make a grab for him.

Alex growled and twisted in mid-air, then threw the rebar at the snake like a javelin, pinning the thing's tongue to the floor. The Hydra jerked back, ripping its own tongue off in the process with a pained howl. Alex kicked it hard into its jaw, then rammed his Blade through its beak to staple it shut. The Hydra thrashed and keened, trying to shake the smaller man off. Alex growled, dug his claws into its head before it could get the idea to slam him into the ground, and yanked his Blade free again, tearing off one of the Hydra's beak halves. The thing screeched in agony and crashed its head into the floor, though he easily jumped off it and got back into safe distance.

The Hydra was mostly done for, the Supreme Hunter however, was not. It baffled him, because he had injured it over and over and over again, had damaged it enough to kill Leader Hunters- but this thing just kept going. He ground his teeth together and brandished his Blade. He was going to find a way to kill it and every last Infected in this God-forsaken Hive to make sure Dana was secure.

Another Hunter jumped him. He rolled to the side, then jabbed his Blade up into its belly to gut it. The beast bucked and roared in pain, so Alex's free talon shot up and seized its heart, yanking it out with one motion. The Hunter collapsed over him, and his tendrils ensnared its fresh corpse to consume it.

He was back on his feet in an instant, growling. “Who wants to go next?” He clicked his talons together. “Come on. I can do this all night.”

The Supreme Hunter hissed at him, gnashing its teeth, when it suddenly stopped and whipped around, milky white eyes narrowing in an all-too-human emotion. It growled once, and all of the Infected surged away from the outer wall.

Seconds before it exploded in a shower of concrete, flesh, smoke and fire.

The Infected ducked and growled, crowding around the Supreme Hunter as three tanks burst through the hole. Several Marines and Blackwatch soldiers joined them in the assault.

_Jarheads. About time._

“Holy Fuck!” Someone of them exclaimed, even as the men aimed their heavy rifles. “This is a fucking blood fest.”

Yeah, it probably was. Several dead Hunters, one dead and one injured Hydra, a whole pack of dead Walkers...Alex had done some damage already. In the end, he would have probably managed to clean out the entire Hive, though with the military here, it would be a lot easier.

The Infected roared and lunged at the soldiers, who instantly opened fire on them. The bullets ate away at the Walkers, but the Hunters easily pushed through the hailstorm.

They didn't ignore the grenade launchers, though. Alex's eyebrows arched up- those grenades were of the incendiary type.

Perfectly suited against Hunters. Which meant, they would be perfectly suited against the Supreme Hunter as well- fire seemed to be the strongest weapon against their kind anyway.

“Holy fuck!” Somebody yelled. “There's ZEUS!”

“Fucking Hell, I see that!”

“Red Crown, what are we supposed to do?!”

“ _Clean out the Hive. Whatever engages you will be dealt with.”_

A Hunter lunged at a group of the Marines. Alex intercepted it, slamming hard into its body to throw it off course and send it crashing into the ground. He pounced on the downed beast and jabbed his Blade down, chopping its head off in one motion.

Something clicked behind him, and he slowly turned, glaring at the three Marines that aimed their rifles and at him. Marine number four was holding a grenade launcher. Alex cocked his head and glanced at the men, then back to the Supreme Hunter that was currently battling against a tank- and winning.

“Your grenade launcher”, he requested, making the man jump back in surprise. “Give it to me.”

“Wh-what?”

“Your weapon”, Alex barked, head snapping back to witness the Supreme Hunter yank the tank's turret out and expose the terrified crew inside to the Infected. “Unless _you_ want to take it up with that bastard over there?”

The four men looked at each other for a short second, then the owner of the launcher shoved his weapon into Alex's left hand. He wasted no time to catapult himself back upwards, firing one round at the mob that was currently tearing the tank crew to shreds to blow them up. With a growl, he descended with his Blade first, killing another Hunter. Without looking, he then aimed the grenade launcher at the Supreme Hunter and squeezed the trigger. Three incendiary explosives slammed into the massive beast and quickly ate away at its face and neck, utterly blinding it.

Like with him, it didn't kill the Hunter, but it gave him precious moments to act without it breathing down his neck. He lunged at it and rammed his Blade through its skull, making it roar out and buck up. He was gone the next moment, retreating into a safe distance to avoid the thing's retaliation. Hit and run was his best tactic, so he swiftly dashed back and sliced his Blade into the Supreme Hunter's ankles, separating its tendons to drop it. The massive Hunter snarled and slammed its paw into the ground to regain its balance as it swung its bladed arm at him. Alex avoided it and fired the grenade launcher into its face again, as it had started to grow back already. The Hunter reeled back, howling through a ruined jaw (not that there was much left of its skull to speak of), before it suddenly jabbed its bladed arm deep into the ground. Alex instantly leapt backwards, swearing and dropping his grenade launcher in the process. He just barely avoided the cluster of Groundspikes the Hunter had tried to impale him with. It had another one of  _his_ abilities. The other Hunters also had claws, but he had been the  _only_ one that could shift his center mass and generate those spikes. Until now.

The Supreme Hunter was a hybrid between his strain and Greene's, having all of her and his abilities at its disposal. And he accidentally helped to create it.

_Oh fuck._

Alex snarled and tackled into the thing again as soon it had pulled its spikes back. He couldn't let it live. It was an abomination, a  _threat._ And he had to destroy it before it became too strong. He needed firepower. Lots of it.

The Supreme Hunter whirled back around and tried to swat him with its malformed giant arm, but the loud explosion and the muzzle flash of one of the tanks disoriented it, as did the tank shell that collided with its chest. Alex used this brief moment to get away, dove towards the pile of rebar beams he had found before. High density bullets tore through the remaining Infected to his sides, and the explosions from grenades shook the entire Hive. He could hear their screams inside his head, though paid them no attention. The floor was slick with their remains, splattering red and sticky along his legs and feet. His tendrils were squirming beneath his surface, breaking through from time to time to grab and consume the closest bits of Biomass.

It didn't bother him too much, even as stray bullets clipped his face and shoulders. Instead of hunting down whoever shot him, Alex grabbed another steel beam and lodged it firmly under his arm. The Supreme Hunter had gotten its balance back by now and was positively  _livid_ , roaring as it lunged at him. He dove to the front, rolling right between its legs to get behind it when he suddenly whipped around and thrust the rebar to the front, jabbing it into the thing's neck and stabbing it into the ground in front of it. The Hunter howled, flailing its arms as Alex twisted the metal roughly to bend it into a hooked shape and prevent it from pulling it out.

The Supreme Hunter choked and snarled, and two normal Hunters broke away from their battle with the remaining tanks to assault Alex. He snarled and swung his freshly-formed Blade into their direction, disemboweling one and seriously injuring the other. He ripped off the first one's head with his free hand and threw it at the second one, knocking it over.

The constant riot around him was still going strong with more and more Infected swarming through the hole the tanks had torn.

But Greene wasn't here anymore. Greene had fled, so  _why_ were these fucks still trying to defend the empty nest?

The Supreme Hunter hissed and tried to free itself. Alex spun around, glaring at it. This bastard...this bastard was still here. And it was calling for the others.

This was going to keep on going forever if he didn't end the beast soon. He grabbed the back of its skull and yanked its head back, slicing his Blade across its throat from one ear to the other. The Supreme Hunter gargled and kept thrashing against the rebar in its neck. Alex caught its deformed arm and actually managed to chop it off, throwing it to the side and away from its owner. The beast snarled around the blood and still strained to free itself, but its motion was starting to become more sluggish.

Then its torso exploded and the ear-splitting crack of a tank cannon shook the air. Alex immediately lunged off the ground and got to safe distance, watching how the two tanks took turns firing on the Supreme Hunter, and the soldiers shooting everything they had. He heard it scream in agony, he saw it thrash wildly, but it simply could not escape.

Incendiary grenades set its flesh ablaze, and soon its healing ability petered out. Alex heard its voice turn frantic before it fell silent completely. Its carcass slumped, flames eating away at it. At the same moment, all of the remaining Infected froze for several long moments, before their ranks collapsed entirely. All of them turned tail and fled, escaped from the Core Hive without even caring about the humans around. He felt their panic, heard their screams.

The military found them easy prey.

He glanced back, seeing no motion from the Supreme Hunter anymore. Alex exhaled and slumped his shoulders in relief. This was over then, whatever was left could be picked off by the military.

Surprisingly, they didn't stop him when he headed back to the remains of the catwalk he had been on earlier, sniffing. He could finally do what he came here for.

He tried to find  _her_ scent. Her trace. Somewhere here in the Hive. There was too much blood, too much gun powder, too much smoke in the air, but Alex wasn't put off by it. Somewhere...somewhere was the faded odor of something... _warm_ . He paused, head whipping to where he caught the whiff from.

Orange soap, cheap coffee and the smell of something familiar.  _Dana_ .

She was here. She was really here in this Hive.

Alex inhaled deeper, ignoring every other scent he could pick up in favor of focusing on Dana's smell. She was here. He dropped back to the ground level, realizing the aroma was stronger here, started moving closer to the walls. A loud explosion behind his back made him pause, so Alex threw a cursory glance at the soldiers around. They were still busy hunting down the Infected, and his attention was quickly taken by a stronger whiff of the scent. He spun around, staring at the wall. The material wasn't as thick as the other was, rubbery instead of tough flesh. His claws were out in an instant and he tore into the material, shaving it off layer for layer within moments until he noticed the double swinging door in front of him. The old operation theater. He forced his way through, snapping the remaining tendrils clinging to the door frame while ignoring the men at his back. They hadn't noticed him anyways, too busy trying to keep alive between all those frantic Infected.

Not that he had any capacity to think about that- his heart was pounding in his chest as he looked around the dark room he was in.

There was a lump on the ground, and his heart stopped for a moment.

“Hey, hey”, he gasped. “Dana!”

He was at her side immediately, wincing at the stench of death and decay that surrounded her, but he stopped for a second, a terrible thought rearing its ugly head.  _She's with us now._

What if she was infected? What if Greene had taken her from him?

He couldn't risk anybody's health, not before he had found a way to stop it from spreading. He loved Dana, but he wasn't  _stupid_ . Anything that Greene could have done to her, would cripple him- but he knew perfectly well that he could not let his heart get the better of him. He knew how dangerous the Infection was, couldn't allow anything to survive.

But what if  _Dana_ was infected? What could he do? There was no cure for this. 

His eyes flashed orange and dropped his world into muted colors. Dana did not show up against the background.

Dana  _did not_ show up against the background.

She wasn't infected. Greene hadn't taken her. Alex's heart skipped a beat or two. She was still herself. Not infected.  _Not_ infected. He couldn't stop himself as he carefully reached out and touched her limp body. She felt cold, too cold actually and she wasn't moving. But...he could hear her heart beat. She was still there, still fighting. And as long she was still fighting, so was he.

He immediately gathered her up in his arms, relief flooding through his body as black tendrils snaked curiously out of his sleeve and curled against her clammy skin. He had her back. She was unharmed, not infected, and he had her back. He just had to get her to Ragland. Ragland would know what to do.

Alex dashed back outside of the operation theater, using his shoulder to shield Dana as he slammed the door out of its hinges. He stopped dead in his tracks two steps later however, eyes wide as the soldiers aimed their rifles at him. In his hurry to get to his sister, he hadn't noticed how the men finished clearing out the Hive, and he hadn't noticed how they grouped in a half-circle in front of the doorway.

They were ready to put him down. And while the bullets wouldn't harm him, they would kill Dana. He hadn't come all this way to let them murder her. His lips peeled away from his teeth as he ducked over Dana's unconscious form, growing armor plates and claws to protect her.

It was a bluff, he knew. If they started shooting, he'd have no real chance to make sure she'd survive it.

The men were hesitating, however, expression nervous. No question they were afraid what would happen if they pissed him off. He had fought along with them, had tried to protect them- but they knew perfectly well it had been an uneasy truce at best.

They didn't shoot, the Marines looking more puzzled than anything, while even Blackwatch hung back for now

“Sir- what about ZEUS?”

“The orders were to capture it on sight.”

Alex snarled at them, eyes flashing for a moment as they backed off a step or two. There- to the left- there were less men, less guns. He instantly started moving.

Like a lightning bolt, he shot off the ground and headed straight for the hole he had torn to get inside the Hive. He heard alarmed shouts and the cracking of their rifles, but they missed him by several feet. He was out of there and across the campus within the blink of an eye, running faster than he ever did before. Dana was all that mattered to him. He had her back, uninfected and most important of all- unharmed.

He could work with this. He had her back.

 


	20. Men like Gods

 

Alex had never been more afraid in his life. Not when he first woke up in the morgue, knowing  _nothing_ ; not when he first dropped off a building at full speed; not when he fell into the Hudson River and nearly drowned; not when he fought a parasite that was eating him from the inside-out.

But now, as he was holding Dana's lifeless body, he knew  _fear_ . He wanted to go  _faster_ , to get her to Doctor Ragland to make sure she got medical help as soon as possible, but at the same time he couldn't go too fast or else Blackwatch was going to get suspicious. Dana wasn't moving, her heart rate and breathing were much too low for his liking, and her body temperature wasn't high enough. Alex had pulled her as close as somehow possible to his body to keep her warm and watch her pulse, but he knew it wasn't enough. He needed Ragland.

The hospital was in front of him, sitting silently and mostly dark at the edge of the river. The military presence was still strong here, but the darkness of the night was going to hide him well enough. So nobody noticed him when he carefully hopped across the roofs to avoid jostling Dana any further. He managed to get into the loading dock of the morgue unseen, and slipped in.

In the distance he realized that the light in the morgue was still on, so his pace quickened until he was in a near sprint before he remembered to  _not_ burst through the door to prevent tearing it off. It was still slamming hard into the wall when he shoved it open with his shoulder. Ragland jumped from his seat at the computer, ducking for a second until he realized just  _who_ it was who came here. Alex could see his expression shift to something like exasperation and his mouth open to say  _something_ \- but he fell silent when Alex stepped into the light, allowing him to see the limp form of Dana.

Ragland immediately went to the side of the examination table, eyes worried. “Alex- is that-?”

“Dana”, Alex pressed her a bit closer to his chest. “I found her.”

The coroner furrowed his brows, watching the limp form. “Is she...you know?” He trailed off with a vague wave of his hand, though Alex understood. He shook his head.  _She's with us now._

“She's clean. I checked it.” He furrowed his brows as he gently placed her on the stainless steel surface. “But she doesn't wake up.”

Ragland frowned at him, but still took a hold of her wrist, feeling for her pulse. “I'd say she's stable”, he murmured after a moment, “But unresponsive. Maybe a concussion, or shock.” Then his brows came down in concern. “Alex- her body temperature is too low.”

“That's why I brought her here”, Alex replied. “Can you help her?”

“Well...I haven't practiced for quite a while”, Ragland glanced around, eyed the steel lockers along the walls. “On living patients, that is.” He tugged at her collar with a gloved hand. “But I do know what to do in such a case.” His expression became stern. “Alex, I want you to get a set of clothes for your sister, maybe more. Several layers would be better, anything to keep her temperature up.”

Alex's back straightened and his expression turned guarded. “You'll have to remove what she's wearing. To prevent a spread of the infection?”

“Exactly.” Ragland sighed, “I know you wouldn't want to leave her alone again, but time's crucial. I try to get her body temperature back up and you get some things so it'll remain that way.”

The younger perked up. “You can help her?”

“I can _try_ ”, Ragland emphasized. “Keeping her alive, that is. But there is no telling when or _if_ she'll ever wake up, Alex.”

“That's more than I could have done for her”, he replied, then carefully slid his arms under her back and legs to move her. He watched Ragland. “Where to?”

“The washing room”, Ragland pointed out, leading the way. “I have to sanitize her skin and hair, make sure nothing sticks to her that could cause another infection later on. And the warm water should help getting her temperature back up.” He glanced at the younger man slightly concerned. “You can trust me. I will do everything I can to help.”

* * *

 

Ragland wandered out of the elevator, holding a cup of coffee from the kitchen upstairs in his hand. He was bone-tired, despite having spent good six hours sleeping. But the day had quickly turned into something he barely had control over while his nerves slowly wasted away at him. It hadn't been  _bad_ , not Military-base-filled-with-Infected-bad, but...well,  _interesting_ to say the least.

It had began when Alex had taken the parasite from him, intending to assault the original Runner of the Infection. Ragland had fully expected to find what he thought he'd did- namely that the Infected had killed his sister- and that he would have flown into an unstoppable berserking state that would have ended only as soon all of Redlight was gone. But then the man suddenly made his appearance, all but kicking down his door to ask him to help his sister. The coroner would have never believed that he'd find the girl alive and unchanged by Redlight.

Despite all odds he  _did_ . Ragland had instantly switched to the doctor part of his profession and did his darnedest to keep the girl alive. After Alex had brought Dana to the washing room, Ragland had him fetch new clothes while he took care of the young woman. Her clothes he had thrown into a corner to burn later on, and after carefully placing the unconscious woman in the shower, made sure to clean her from all the filth. He took note of the multiple bruises all over her body, though most had been centered around her torso. She had been grabbed by a Leader Hunter, Alex had said, so it had been no wonder he also found a cracked rib amongst other deep-tissue swellings, along with traces of impact syndrome. He had seen such injuries quite often in his line of work- young women, often younger than Dana, with bruises and broken bones all over their bodies.

The only difference (asides from the whole reason for those bruises) was that his latest patient still had a pulse- and Ragland would make sure she kept it.

He had been halfway through toweling the unresponsive girl off, wondering how he was supposed to get her back to his morgue without dislocating his spine, when Alex returned with a bunch of clothes clutched in his hands. He had seemed uncomfortable near the sanitizer, but swallowed it and wordlessly shoved his younger sister into a pair of comfy pajamas with more care than he'd ever seen him use before, then picked her up and took her back to the morgue.

When they reached it, Ragland couldn't help but find himself surprised at the changes the younger had done inside his realm before he headed over. There were two new bags sitting on the examination table, one filled with clothes and computer gear, the other full of canned goods and plastic containers. The desk from his office now stood inside the morgue itself, while the couch he slept on had been pushed along the wall towards the corner in the separate room. His filing cabinets had been build up as a makeshift partition, while a collapsible cot took over the space his desk had been once. And this cot was where Alex took the girl, carefully tucking her in to keep her warm.

Ragland had left them briefly to shove the shed clothes into the incinerator, before the exhaustion hit him like a freight truck. He had just managed to get back into the office room of his morgue and simply flopped onto his couch.

He had awoken six hours later, feeling like roadkill. The first thing he had thought was 'I really need a coffee'. And then he realized that he was swaddled in blankets. He couldn't remember having done it, but he had probably been extremely sleep-deprived. His bones popped audibly as he swung his feet to the ground and looked for his shoes, when he heard a dark and gravely voice.

“You snore like a chainsaw eating through solid concrete, then getting stuck halfway through.”

Ragland had frozen then, brain frantically trying to figure out what was going on when he finally realized that he wasn't alone. Right. Alex. It was surprising he hadn't left already, since he didn't seem the type to sit still.

“That's awfully specific”, Ragland replied, masking his surprise and rolling his shoulders as he walked around the filing cabinets/room divider. He paused, taking in the scene. Alex sat on the floor, knees propped up and balancing sheets of paper on them while he was working with a pen. His free hand however was wrapped around Dana's fingers, and he could see a bunch of small tendrils curling along her unconscious body.

“How is she?” The coroner had asked.

Alex had briefly glanced at him. “I don't know”, he replied. “She's warmer, at least.”

“Well, that's good then”, Ragland eyed the paper. “What's this?”

“A Web of Intrigue. Dana called it that way”, the other explained. “It contains people I still have to find. To figure out what's going on.”

_And consume them_ . Ragland had shivered a little bit, then excused himself and went to take a shower, then find a coffee to calm his nerves.

That was where he was now, having just stepped out of the elevator from the near-empty hospital above. He had seen only few doctors and nurses, all of them had chosen to remain here and take care of their patients instead of trying to brave the insanity out there. Ragland didn't have any idea how far the Infection had went, or whether Greene was gone- Alex hadn't said anything.

But when he noticed  _it_ laying on the ground in front of his morgue, he just realized that things had gone south.

* * *

 

Alex had spent the night vigilantly at Dana's side, had kept a few of his tendrils wrapped around her arm and across her chest to keep tabs on her vitals. The entire time his brain had been running in circles, because Greene was still out there and Dana wasn't waking up and Blackwatch was hunting him and Dana wasn't waking up and he had to stop the Infection and  _Dana wasn't waking up_ !

Around that time, Ragland had started to sound like he was trying to take down a Hive with a badly-working chainsaw too, so Alex decided he'd have to distract himself. That was why he had gotten up, had wrapped the doc in blankets (because he shouldn't catch a cold), then had taken his Web of Intrigue map to continue working on it. More names had been added to those he already had, others were crossed off, more connections were drawn. He was delving deep in the memories of hundreds of dead people, trying to find locations and faces that connected them. Trying to break this conspiracy.

He had figured out that Blackwatch had watched him, even before Penn Station, before he disappeared. And he wondered why. It wasn't just that he had been the head of the project- but apparently Blackwatch had removed the others and were now closing in on him, intent to end him as well. Penn Station got the drop on him before them, though.

He had learnt of the origins of the Infection, had learnt more about Hope, Idaho. It had started with Redlight. Or whatever it had been before Greene. Greene was the first carrier, the first Runner, and Blackwatch had been sent to stop her. Blackwatch- who had been founded by DARPA to battle infections like that one in Idaho. That much he had learnt. But he still did not know what the Hell Blackwatch was thinking when they hauled that bitch out of Hope-  _why_ was she still alive, and more even,  _why_ had they made Blacklight from her? Why hadn't they burnt her in the nuclear Hellfire they bathed Hope in?

He paused, glancing at the name 'David Chapman' on his paper. He used to work closely with McMullen before Blackwatch had hidden him away.

“ _Do you recall her pelvic X-Rays?”_

“ _No, what about them?”_

“ _Her hip bones indicate birth.”_

Greene had been pregnant. She did have a child- but he had heard of it only a handful of times, only now when he was working through all the memories he had inside of him and hadn't looked at any closer until now.

So she had a kid, but the question was: Why did Blackwatch conceal this? If the kid had died during the Infection, then it wouldn't had mattered anyways. Unless...Alex frowned and checked up on Chapman's memories, looking for his colleagues.

Greene had given birth  _after_ getting infected.  _After_ Redlight got to her. The child had been  _born infected_ , which was interesting.

And concerning. Alex had long since realized that whatever had come out of Idaho was not anything that was supposed to live. And a person born from Redlight itself was very, very, very bad news. The Supreme Hunter itself was proof enough of that- an unfinished, near indestructible thing, born through hasty rejection of a parasite filled with Blacklight's strain and Alex's DNA. It was evolution (procreation?), re-combination of genetic codes at a startling speed with disastrous results.

What if there had been a normal, nine-month pregnancy predating the birth? Was Greene's child even  _human_ ? What powers did it wield?

McMullen was not scared, not like he should have. To him, it had been a giant playground, screwing up the laws of biology and genetics just as he wanted. He refused to see the danger Greene's child represented. He wanted to see what else there was.

Alex did not. He knew he had to find the child too, had to kill it along with its mother.

To protect Dana.

He paused and looked at her, watched her still face. She was still there, still living, but that was it. Nothing more. He remembered the extend of the bruises littering her body when he returned to the morgue, knew that several bones had been cracked by the Hunter's handling. It could have been worse, but what had happened was already too much.

It was his fault, he knew. And he couldn't help her- her fate was in Ragland's hands now.

He had to take out Greene. He was the only one who could do so, though the question was-  _how_ ? He had no idea where she was now, and the Hive Mind refused to give him the location. It had learnt from their previous encounter, and was not willing to repeat it.

He had to get to her somehow.

He just had no idea how to go about this. Sighing, he returned his attention to his Web, keeping his free hand wrapped firmly around Dana's fingers, feeling her pulse throb beneath her skin.

At some point later on, Ragland had woken up and left the morgue. Alex leaned back, trying to figure out what to do now when he heard frantic steps.

“Alex!!” He was on his feet in an instant, had crossed most of the way to the examination table in the middle when Ragland barreled through the door, expression concerned.

“We're having a problem”, he said with worry in his tone, slapping something at the table. “This just...turned up. It hadn't been there when I walked out of here, but when I returned it was suddenly there.”

Alex made a noise in the back of his throat and leaned over the table to stare at what Ragland had found.

A map. Old, yellowed paper, torn out of some book or pamphlet, but clearly recognizable the south end of Manhattan. And there was a big red circle near the Williamsburg Bridge, with the remark FDR Drive/Community Center.

“A trap?” Ragland questioned.

“An invitation”, Alex noticed. 

“What now?”

Alex turned the question over in his head, then eyed the coroner. “Looks like I got plans. When I'm gone, lock down the door. There's a gun in the one bag, take it to defend yourself if necessary.” Ragland nodded, but didn't say anything. Alex glanced back at the office room, then locked gazes with the corner. “Do what you can for her.”

* * *

 

He had reached the residential area near the Williamsburg Bridge easily. He had to be careful, as there was a massive military base in the general area, but there were still enough people around so he could easily blend in with the crowds, even without disguising himself.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, though. Alex looked around, slowly making his way along the area in front of the Community Center- when he noticed the public phone.

It didn't look any different from the other payphones nearby, but this one emitted a strong smell of bleach. He drew closer, brows pulled into a frown- when something  _rang_ . Alex jumped back a bit, startled, until he noticed that it was ringing. 

Or better, the ringing came from this direction. But it wasn't the payphone.

He closed in on it, noting the stripe of silver duct tape on its lower side. He let his fingers slide over whatever was stuck beneath, curled them- and yanked a cheap mobile phone free. It rang in his hand.

Somebody had put this here, somebody had marked this on the map that had found its way to Ragland. Somebody wanted him to find it.

He clicked the green button and held it against the side of his hood, listening.

“ _Mercer”_

“Who is this?” Alex demanded to know.

“ _Not important”_ , the contact replied. Alex recognized that the voice had been altered with a voice changer, one that also blurred out any eventual background noises. Smart, made it impossible to figure out who it was. _“What I know, you want to hear.”_ He cocked his head, furrowing his brows. Whoever it was, must have been watching him, because even without him demanding them to get on with it, his contact continued. _“Forty years ago, Blackwatch moved into Hope, Idaho, to begin Project Redlight. They'd studied the virus for years on animals. They wanted to see what it would do to humans.”_ There was a short pause, as if shuffling paper or taking a breath, and Alex had the distinct feeling he knew what the guy was going to say next. _“At first, nothing happened. They let their guard down. Then it rose up suddenly, infected the town, overran the population. It found the perfect host in Elizabeth Greene.”_

Okay, that guy definitely got his attention. Alex had needed scientists that had worked directly on the projects to discover this, yet this mysterious contact seemed to have figured all of this out himself. He threw a look over his shoulder, watching the dark windows of the apartments behind him. He was pretty sure the guy must have been somewhere in there. Just he had no idea where and who it was.

“ _Gentek was working on a sample of the Hope virus”_ , the contact continued, _“They called it Blacklight.”_ He already knew that too, and most likely he had been the one to actually work on this entire shit. Then however, the contact continued with something he _had not known_ until now. _“The goal was to engineer a version that could copy and combine genetic traits: to re-write living creatures.”_ The contact paused, as if being able to read his mind. Alex was staring at the street, unmoving, unblinking. _As amazing as it seems, he can manipulate his body on the genetic level. The changes are instantaneous. Everything, even the clothing, is imitated. Tissue differentiated and transformed on the fly._

“ _Sound familiar? It should.”_ The mysterious contact added after a short moment. Alex agreed with him, because what he just told him was exactly what he was able to do. But the release had been an accident, wasn't it? And did Gentek really anticipate that, to get different genetic traits, the host would be forced to consume others?

It made no sense, because Alex could not imagine that somebody deliberately designed his powers like that. Because he had no limit. Fatal injuries did not stop him. Secrets did not stop him. If Gentek had designed his abilities, then they had neglected to install a kill switch. Soldiers were only as good as long there was a way to prevent them from going too far. Alex? There was nothing that could stop him.

His contact made a sound which sounded suspiciously like a snort.  _“Your creation however was an accident, something Gentek did not anticipate.”_

Alex furrowed his brows. “My 'creation'? What the Hell do you mean?”

The contact went silent for a few seconds too long, then the tone changed.  _“You don't know”_ , it wasn't a question, more of a statement. Another pause, before there was something of a scoff.  _“Then I will spell it out for you. You are not human. You never have been human. You are the Blacklight Virus. Gentek did not expect you to grow.”_

Alex froze. He felt as if the ground had just being pulled out from under his feet. Not human but the Blacklight virus in itself?  _Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight._ “How?”

“ _How do you take faces of dead men? Same question”_ , the contact explained slowly. _“Blacklight wasn't supposed to be able to do this. But you did- and now you're a massive pain in the ass for Blackwatch.”_ The tone changed. _“This is why they will try to kill you. They are planning to deploy a weapon against you using aircraft. If you really want to stop all of this nonsense, then you'll go to the refueling station on top of the Highlines Building. You'll find what you need there.”_ The speaker suddenly cut the connection, leaving Alex in silence. The phone slipped from his fingers. _Not human._

_Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight._

The words echoed through his skull. He wasn't human. Had never been one. He was  _Blacklight_ \- the virus that killed thousands of people in Penn Station. Alex Mercer was just another mask, another face he could take. The only difference was that he had been his  _first_ . He woke up with Alex Mercer's body. So naturally, he believed he was him. But he wasn't Alex. Never had been.

“Fuck”

His identity was a lie. Everything he had worked for was a lie. He wasn't Alex Mercer. He had no life to come back to, because it never belonged to him. Alex Mercer was dead and gone, and he had stolen his body just as he had stolen so many others. How could he not have seen it? He could take the faces and identities of others, could wear their faces like a mask. He could imitate their clothes, their voices and behavior perfectly, could  _be_ them in nearly every sense of the word.

Alex Mercer had never been anything more than just another role he had played. A persona he had immersed himself so much he never had any idea it was just an act.

He groaned, draping his palm flat across his face. What Greene told him, back at Gentek, suddenly made  _sense_ .  _I am your mother_ . She knew what he was, knew he was the offshoot of her own strain. In her twisted world, this made him family to her.

He wondered who else knew this. Ragland? Probably not, but he couldn't be certain. Karen? Most likely, would also explain why she betrayed him. If he wasn't Alex, then there was no emotional baggage attached to using him. Blackwatch? They didn't. To them he was just a Runner.

But he wasn't.

In retrospect, he really should have expecting something of the sort. His abilities were far too deviant to be just Infected powers. The power to mold his own body into whatever shape he wished, to change his very genome, to survive without even the most vital of organs...the Infected were not able to do so.

He wasn't Alex Mercer. He wasn't human.

...Dana wasn't his sister.

And that made his thoughts stop in their tracks. He wasn't Alex Mercer, so Dana wasn't his sister. It was a logical conclusion. She was the sister of the man he took over in Penn Station, but to him, she wasn't kin. Just like all the wives, husbands, siblings, parents and children of his other victims weren't his blood. None of them mattered, even though he had more memories of them than he had of his- of  _Mercer's_ \- family.

But trying to deny that Dana wasn't important to him was just...wrong. From the moment on he had remembered her (which was only  _after_ remembering both Goodwin's and Perri's families), Dana had been everything to him. Everything he had done was for her, for himself, for the both of them. 

And even after she learnt what he  _really_ was, what he  _really_ did, she wanted to remain at his side.

_Look, no matter what- you are still my brother._

He wanted to laugh. Or cry. Or scream. He had just gotten her back, had learnt she wanted to remain with him despite everything- and he wasn't even the one who was supposed to be with her. He had stolen her brother's identity, taken it for himself without even knowing he did- and it felt somehow  _wrong_ not to think of himself as 'Alex'. He was who he was, though he wasn't who he believed he was. He was not Dana's brother. But he  _was_ Alex.

And what he felt for her was still the same.

He furrowed his brows, when realization hit- Despite everything that had transpired, nothing had changed. Dana was everything to him and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Ragland was his ally. Blackwatch his enemy. And Greene was the one he was going to kill.

Who he was or not, did not matter at all, wasn't important in the face of what there was still left to do. He had to survive, had to protect Dana. He had to find and kill Greene, and he had to find and consume whoever had a hand in creating her. Creating  _him_ .

This wasn't about him anyways. This wasn't about Alex Mercer- this was about stopping the Infection  _and_ Blackwatch. This was about ending this entire nonsense.

He was going to make all of them pay for what they did.

* * *

 

_Highlines Building_ . It wasn't anywhere  _near_ the Highline, despite what it name suggested. In fact, there was nothing that connected the both. But somehow, somebody started calling The Long Lines Building Highline Building. And somehow it stuck.

He had moved close enough to watch the massive red brick facade. On the ground were only few soldiers, but still enough so he could not risk consuming any of them. Instead, he had swiftly scaled the building across the street to get a better view of the area.

At the top of the the block he could see a single Blackhawk, several Blackwatch Soldiers and a few fuel tanks.

_Any compromise here would be bad._

Alex ducked and watched the rooftop. Men were milling about. His contact mentioned he'd want to know what was going on here, yet at the same time he couldn't risk blowing his cover by killing all of them.

A man to the side caught his attention. A Blackwatch goon wearing a flight suit (one of only two in this area), smoking a cigarette.

Alex moved. He instantly headed towards the back of the Tribeca Apartment complex he was on to climb to around half the height of the Long Lines, then carefully scrambled around the corners and leapt over, fingers digging into the brick. He glanced up to figure out if anybody noticed. Nobody moved, no voices got loud, so he was in the clear. He easily scaled this wall, wary to not climb across the windows to prevent being seen from the inside. He eased to the lip of the roof, pressing himself as flat as somehow possible to prevent detection. But from what he heard, the men weren't too occupied with their safety. He managed to pick up some snippets, hearing something about 'those fucking big dudes' and 'weird stuff they're producing'. Alex didn't know what it was, though there were  _ways_ to figure it out. He heard the pilot above him exhale, moments before he flicked the butt of his cigarette over the edge. His steps then signaled that he turned around and headed away from the edge.

Alex struck. In one fluid motion, he lunged right onto the roof and pounced at the guy. His hands seized his throat from behind, and with a single twist of his fingers, utterly crushed the man's voice box. He dragged his victim in, his body locking up for a moment when the man's entire life flashed before his eyes. Like everybody else, Timothy Lamons was just another face now, another mask he could wear. Another batch of information to be had, and Alex couldn't help but think that his contact had presented Lamons as a sort of gift to him. Asides from having been a pilot and thus further increasing Alex's abilities in piloting a helicopter, Lamons was also on the job to fly troops in and out of dangerous zones. He had been refueling his craft when Alex got to him, and the others wouldn't be suspicious if he took the chopper and left.

Not like with Graves, where he had been forced to quickly steal the aircraft.

And, more importantly, Lamons was usually stationed at Battery Park, at the command center of Blackwatch, though the General had retreated to the  _Reagan_ as the Infection grew worse.

Now Alex had access to the most important military structure on the island. And he needed it. Because Lamons had heard about something that made Alex's back bristle. Because he remembered speaking to Randall, and the General’s expression was twisted into parts disbelief and parts disgust.

“ _What kind of situations are these...things suited for?”_

“ _They've been trained to specifically counteract viral targets. They are highly mobile, super strong, resilient and capable of going toe-to-toe with even the strongest Infected.”_

“ _Close combat?”_

“ _It's what they were made for, Sir.”_

Alex shuddered when he remembered when Lamons first met  _them_ . In the distance, these guys looked like absurdly muscular Blackwatch troops, but close up...they were  _huge_ absurdly muscular Blackwatch troops.

D-Codes, they were called.  _Supersoldiers_ .

And Blackwatch intended to use them against the Infection and Alex.

_Let them come. Let them try._

Alex scoffed and shifted his rifle, just in time for the other pilot to make his appearance. “Lamons!” He snapped, “You ain't getting paid for staring into bloody space!”

Alex turned to eye the other guy. MacAlistair, not Lamons' usual co-pilot, but a damn good flier himself. The transfer here had come as a surprise to Lamons, as it had been just before he had started his round. Not his usual pilot, but this guy. And Alistair was not just  _any_ pilot- he was part of the Wisemen.

But he identified him not from Lamons' memories, but rather Hist's. Because the normal Blackwatch personnel had no idea who Wisemen were and who not.

Security? Against him?

Alex glanced at the pilot, who was muttering under his breath for 'being stuck with some blue-eyed idiot'. He would have growled at the man's tone, Timothy Lamons just scoffed. “Just let me have my five minutes”, he grumbled. “World's fucking ending, so just let me have my cigarette.”

“You can have all the fags when your shift's over”, the Wiseman retorted. “Now move your bloody ass.”

Alex huffed out and just followed after the guy, climbing into the Blackhawk's cockpit and strapping down. He ignored the way the chopper creaked when he pulled himself inside. “Now let's get this show on the road”, Alistair claimed, flipping the necessary switches. Alex checked over the status of the ammunition. Lamons had been the gunner of the pair, and Alistair the pilot.

“ _Ghost Twelve, Team waiting for extraction”_ , the radio chirped not two minutes later. _“Get over there and get them out!”_

“Roger”, Alistair replied, “En route.” He pushed the nose down and the chopper shot across the sky, towards Lower Midtown Manhattan. Alex kept an eye out, subtly listening to the Hive Mind. Soon enough, he spied a group of Blackwatch soldiers on a roof, pinned down by countless Infected. “Got them”, he declared. “The Walkers haven't breached the position yet.”

“Got it”, Alistair replied, hovering over the roof and sinking down.

“Transport's there”, the leader of the troop yelled, “Go go go!”

The men scrambled in, when Alex heard an enraged scream through the Hive Mind and his eyes narrowed when a Hunter lunged towards them. Giving the team barely time to close the doors, he just yelled a “Hold on to something!” As he wrested control away from Alistair and yanked the helicopter around. The men were thrown around on the inside, swearing, while Alex managed to avoid the beast. The Hunter soared past them and slammed into the approaching Walkers.

Alistair cursed. “Bloody Hell! Good catch! Didn't see that bastard there!”

“Yeah”, Alex replied with a scoff. “Give me a moment.” He aimed the manual targeting system at the Hunter and shot off a single missile, blowing up the thing's skull and torso and letting it slap to the ground in a bloody heap while the shockwave dealt with the remaining Infected. He grunted, then pulled the stick up to gain some altitude before allowing the pilot to get the control back. 

“Shit, Mac!” A voice snapped from behind them. The both of them turned slightly to look at another Blackwatch struggling to clamber to the front. “A little warning next time?” Alex recognized her. René Santos, another of the Wisemen. He wondered about this- two Wisemen in one place? Why weren't they with their captain?

“Ah, luv”, the other grinned. “Wasn't me. Was that guy here.”

The woman huffed out and turned her irate glare at Alex, who glared back. “Was either that or having a Hunter crash into the front. I don't think that would have been a feasible option either.” He sneered as the Blackhawk rolled in air to keep the area under surveillance.

“Fucking things”, someone in the rear huffed out. “I always thought they were animals. But it looks like they are too smart.”

“I hear ya”, another commented. “Bastards are smarter than those Zombies or snakes, that's for sure.”

“Have you seen those big guys? Like, two mouths and muscles like a brick house?”

“Yeah”, someone huffed out. “Lost most of my team to one. Was lucky the air strike picked that bastard off.”

“The fucks are scary”, someone agreed. “But ZEUS is a fucking _nightmare_.”

Alex heard all of them agree, and couldn't help but listen closely, even though he kept his attention focused on the outside, looking for any Infected that might try to assault them.

One of the men cleared his throat. “You guys have seen this bastard, haven't you?”

“We all did”, Alistair threw in from the front, though quickly turned his attention back to flying the Blackhawk.

“I did too”, someone commented. “Thing was too fast, jumping over the fucking buildings. Couldn't get a clear shot on it.”

“Count your lucky stars you didn't”, Santos growled through clenched teeth. “So far we figured out that if that fucker ain't pissed at you, it leaves you right alone. Though it doesn't need much to piss it off. It seems it hates Blackwatch more than it does the Marines.”

“Sounds like you have a personal experience.”

The woman scoffed. “I have. I was there at Mount Sinai.” Alex knew the rumors had made the round already- after all, he did have to deal with that parasite for several days and it hadn't went unnoticed by Blackwatch. He knew they were trying to figure out whether the weapon had worked or not, though ever since he showed up not affected, they had partially lost their interest.

There was a murmur, before one exclaimed “Shit, you're a Wiseman?!”

“I am”

“Fuck. Heard you guys were the only ones to tango with ZEUS and come out unscathed.”

“ _Almost_ unscathed”, the woman growled. “This fucker easily murdered a third of my team, not caring how good they had been. And then it broke Captain Cross's ribs too before he managed to tag it with the weapon.” There was a scoff when she added: “Didn't have an effect though. Next time I've seen it, ZEUS was happily decimating the base BB-3, no sign of it even _slowed down_.”

“Shit”, someone groaned. “What are we fighting against here?”

“Not the flu, I'm telling you that”, was the answer. “Because this out there is too much like an army than brainless Zombies.”

“Anybody mind tellin' me where the fuck this shit is comin' from? 'Cuz I doubt it was somethin' mother nature cooked up.”

Alex lifted his head in surprise, staring at the men through their reflection. He had never actually paid any attention to what his victims had thought about the entire situation. But until now he had always figured that Blackwatch at least had known what was going on.

They didn't, weren't aware that it was their own organization that had created this thing. But did it change anything?

Not really. Alex scoffed and motioned for Alistair to slow down so he could blow up a bunch of Walkers that were congregating on a nearby roof. This changed nothing. Even  _if_ Blackwatch had no idea what was going on, they were still  _Blackwatch_ . They were still scum in uniforms that laughed when they were burning and shooting down people for  _coughing_ . Alex growled in his throat, knowing they were entirely  _too_ close and that he'd only need a single Devastator to kill all of them- but he still had to get into Battery Park without anybody noting. These bastards got lucky.

“ _Ghost Twelve”_ , the radio chimed, interrupting the conversation thankfully. _“Head over to the target area.”_

“Roger, Red Crown”, Alex replied, then glanced at Alistair, who easily adjusted the controls to turn the aircraft.

The soldiers inside also cut off their conversation. “Ah Hell”, one of them grunted. “Let's get looking dead.”

“Uh-oh”, Alistair murmured. “Now _that's_ what I call a target-rich environment.”

Alex glanced down, watching dozens of Walkers and Hunters crawling through the streets below, and he could sense Hydras as well. He cocked his head, then glanced at his co-pilot. “I got an idea”, he declared. He didn't bother with telling him what he had planned, just took control and turned away from the target area, heading at least four blocks down the street. The Infected were filling the streets below, so Alex eased the Blackhawk down, keeping just above the rooftops- and pushed the nose down before the others could question him. He mashed down on the trigger and kept his finger firmly lodged there, and the chopped spewed a volley of unguided missiles as it moved back towards the target area.

Cleaning the street within moments.

A Hydra popped up, shrieking and grabbing a cab off the street as the Blackhawk approached, though Alex yanked the controls around and circled the beast, missiles still impacting into the thing to utterly eviscerate it. He scoffed and eased up on the hold of the trigger, then swung around and gunned down three Hunters with the machine gun.

Alistair whistled sharply. “Shit Lamons!” He questioned. “You going for a high score?”

“No”, Alex replied. “I just don't like these bastards.”

“ _That's_ a way to say it”, the pilot snorted. “Hell, you just single-handedly cleared out most of the target area.”

“Good. Means they're all dead”, Santos threw in.

Alistair shook his head as he set down in the middle of the street to let the team out. Without any opposition, they easily moved down the street to look for any other threats. The chopper pulled away and headed back across Lower Manhattan. Alex sighed and glanced at the controls in front of him. As long he had nothing to shoot, his thoughts were free to roam, circling back to the revelation he had just gotten this morning. He wasn't human. Yet he still pretended he was one.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

Alex had spent the last several hours in this small stuffy cockpit in the company of Blackwatch. They had picked up teams all throughout the Red Zones, dropped them off somewhere again, refueled and restocked their ammo, killed Infected, and nothing had happened asides from that. Alex had went through all of this on autopilot, had let Lamons's memories do the talking for him if necessary; while he was bored out of his skull and downright twitchy. His back was constantly bristling, and more than once he had to wrest the urge to simply  _maim_ somebody and escape into the city back. What if this whole thing had just been a ruse by whoever contacted him? What if they had baited him, waited until he had swallowed the hook, and then went back to Ragland to take him and Dana away? Alone the fact they had known where they were wasn't exactly positive. And his contact must have been Blackwatch, possibly somebody with rank to figure out what they did.

The urge to get back to Dana and Ragland was overwhelming, barely kept in check by Alex's soldier personas that demanded him to finish the mission, so he decided to go for the next best plan to simply head out  _after_ he was finished here. Just what he was going to say was still beyond him. He would figure it out. Once he had learnt what kind of weapon Blackwatch attempted to use against him. And his patience had finally yielded some results. 

“ _Ghost Twelve, return to the palace for debrief.”_

“Bloody finally”, Alistair groaned in his seat next to him. Alex glanced at the Wiseman pilot, furrowing his brows. The man had learnt fast, had quickly adapted to his tactic of circling his targets instead of remaining static in the air, had even started to avoid using the automatic targeting system as he usually did. He just hoped he hadn't taught Blackwatch to be more of a pain in the ass than they usually were.

Alistair grunted again and stretched once, before glancing at him. “You know, you are a bloody good pilot”, he pointed out. “Maybe I could persuade Captain Cross to take you into the Wisemen. You'd be a good addition.”

Alex snorted. “You could  _try_ ”, he replied half-amused. “But if you'd knew me better, you'd see what kind of bastard I am.”

“Mate, Blackwatch is mostly bastards anyways, and we Wisemen are the worst of the lot.”

Alex shrugged. They couldn't be worse than he was. Battery Park came into view and Alistair swung the chopper towards the pier of the ferry terminal. “I'd better land her”, he pointed out, focusing on slowing down and descending. “She's handling kind of sluggish.”

“You might want to check the rotor”, Alex suggested, “That last time I thought you caught the landlines.”

“Yeah, but we better check out what they've cooked up, or else they're going to bump us down to shit patrol.” He glanced back at the group of soldiers they picked up last time and picked up his voice. “ _All_ of us.”

“We better”, Alex agreed. He had no fear of latrine duty (mostly because he was going to be gone soon), but he wanted to get this over as soon as possible. The more time he wasted here, the worse it was for Ragland and Dana. So he just unhooked his seat belts and slid out, along with the troop they've picked up. Together, they crowded into the Coast Guard Recruitment building. 

As soon he stepped a foot through the door, Alex stopped dead in his tracks. Something was  _not right_ . Not right at all.

His skin tingled unpleasantly, and something started clawing at the inside of his throat. He resisted the urge to cough, swallowing in an attempt to soothe the itch. “Come on”, Alistair told him, shoving him after the men that filtered into a former schoolroom. Alex could have resisted, but then the man would have noticed something was off, so he followed through with it unwillingly.

His lungs were hurting by the time they moved into the room, and his breathing had turned shallow. The others hadn't noticed it yet, too focused on the guy standing on the podium at the end of the room. He was a commander, and any other time Alex wouldn't have hesitated to jump there and consume him. But now...his body hurt like a particularly nasty sunburn, and his lungs felt like they were on fire.

“Okay shitheads, listen up”, the commander barked. Alistair rolled his eyes behind his mask and leaned over to Alex. “Listen to that, Lamons. Another self-important idiot. Bloke has no idea what it's like in the front lines.”

“To combat the Infection out there, our guys broke out some new stuff”, the commander continued. “Substance A-113A which we call Bloodtox due to its odd coloration.” Alex retched, but managed to mask it brilliantly. “Bloodtox is a poison which only affects the Blacklight virus”, the man continued. “We will cover the city with it to stop the spread of the virus and kill all Infected with it.”

“Kind of like Agent Orange, eh?” Alistair whispered. Alex choked, and this time he noticed. “Are you okay?”

“To humans, however, it is completely harmless”, the man added. “So harmless in fact, that you've been breathing it since you entered the room.”

Alex made sound somewhere between a gargle and a choke, and doubled over, catching sight of the vent atop them that was spewing a red mist. The other soldiers turned slowly, glancing at him in confusion while the commander stopped talking. He started coughing, eyes watering. His lungs were burning now, and the fire started eating outside from them. At the same time, the gas also started piercing his skin and dug into his flesh.

“Lamons?” Alistair asked, head cocked to the side. Alex retched- and tentacles twisted over his shape.

The soldiers around turned ramrod stiff and paled beneath their masks. “Bloody Hell...”

Alex didn't wait. He instantly turned on his heel and escaped the room, skin burning and ever shifting.

“Hold it! Halt! HALT!” He sprinted down the corridor, feeling like hot needles had been driven into his eye sockets. Where was the exit? Where did he come from? He choked again and his form blurred, changing it back into himself- _Mercer_. He heard alarmed shouts from behind and just blindly dashed towards a pair of massive double doors. He slammed them open and was-

Not outside.

A dozen Blackwatch soldiers whirled around, heavy weapons clenched in their hands.

“Oh. Shit.”

Alex didn't think, just lunged to the front and smashed into the closest guy, turning him into mist. But the red was floating around him, settling on him, burning his skin-

He whirled around, staring at the massive pump to the side, spewing noxious red clouds. He grit his teeth and shifted to his Armor, but the pain only faded, didn't go away. Fuck, this stuff was eating even through his shell.

A missile impacted into him, cracking his armor around the impact point. He gasped, inhaling more of the stuff which immediately send another surge of fire through his chest.

Brittle! His shell had been rendered brittle by this stuff!

“Take it down!”

_Like Agent Orange, eh?_

Alex kicked off the floor and headed straight for the roof. He couldn't get out, not through the ceiling- but he did manage to latch to the support beams and pull himself on them, removing his Armor in the process to get his agility back.

The burning had eased up, though the shouting and shooting increased in intensity. Like he thought, then- the gas was denser than air, so it collected on the ground.

He snarled and shifted to his Whipfist, shooting it down to grab the Blackwatch bastard that had used the missile launcher and tried to yank him up. His weapon sizzled inside the mist, but it kept together as he pulled it back and dragged the man with him. Balancing on the steel beams, he tore the man's throat out and consumed him, his body screaming in relief as fresh Biomass surged into him and replaced what had burnt off. But there was an unpleasant taste at the edge of his tendrils.

Of course, the Bloodtox still clung to the men.

“Take it down! Kill it!”

Alex propped up the launcher and instantly kicked off the ceiling beams to avoid another missile exploding there, taking his perch out. He shot his weapon and managed to hit the gas pump dead-on. The thing blew up in a satisfying ball of fire, while Alex whirled and threw his spent weapon at one of the Blackwatch troops below. The man managed to avoid- just barely- though he didn't care. He slammed against the wall, then kicked off and glided towards the other end of the massive garage, setting down on the office-like constructions to avoid the mist still crawling on the ground. Without the source, the stuff wasn't going to fill up the place too much. But the air still stung, and the cloud was still rolling on the ground. Ventilation...he needed ventilation to get this stuff out of here- or he managed to get out of the skylight.

He lunged back towards the roof construction and latched onto it, using his momentum to swing over and aim for the skylight.

A huge shadow suddenly appeared right above him, giving him only a split second to stare at it in surprise- then the glass shattered.

Something  _big_ hit Alex and drove him into the ground.

Literally.

He crashed into the concrete with a resounding  _crack_ that shook the entire room. Alex gasped, inhaling too much of the gas again, but was rendered unable to move when a giant  _hand_ grabbed his collar and pulled him off the floor. For a moment he realized that this was how his victims felt when he lifted them up on the throat as he stared into the masked face of a huge, absurdly muscular guy.

A Supersoldier.

“Let's see how you like that, ZEUS”, the man commented as he spun him around and just pile-drove Alex back into the ground with enough force to snap his spine and break his skull.

_Ow._

Dizzy, Alex kicked his legs out, catching the man on his tighs. But what should have utterly torn off the legs of any other man just made this guy stumble back a little. Still, he was going to take whatever he got. Alex instantly scrambled to the front and pounced off the floor, returning to the office building.

Or that had been the plan, anyways. The Supersoldier slammed into him in that moment, effortlessly ripping him to the side and sent him flailing back to the ground.

Alex snarled and whirled around, Claws formed in an instant as he launched himself at the soldier. He raked them down just as the man whipped to meet him, but they didn't manage to sink all too deep into his flesh. There was the shriek of metal on metal, almost like when he swiped his talons at the tank, while the guy managed to slam his massive arm into his side, snapping bones effortlessly.

_Screw this_ . Alex pulled his talons back and shifted to the Musclemass, just as the soldier grabbed at him. All of his instincts flared to life and he snatched the man's larger hands, stopping whatever attack he had been trying, before kicking his knee. Enhanced with his Musclemass, his blow was strong enough to shatter the joint, making the man stumble in surprise.

Then Alex went right for his head, powerful paws closing around his thick skull to crush down whatever bones, muscles and cartilage he could find. These guys were tough- but not tough enough to survive this.

He smashed the guy's head like a watermelon, then his tendrils surged out to grab whatever they could reach. Tearing and twisting, swallowing whatever he could get. It went down...smoothly. More so than normal humans did. And a lot more than Infected.

Too bad about the brain though, after splattering it everywhere, there weren't any information to get. It didn't matter to him one way or another.

“ZEUS!”

Four more of those guys appeared out of  _nowhere_ . Alex coughed, than growled at them. His Armor came back into existence, but he didn't want to fight these bastards here in those cramped quarters with the Bloodtox still lingering.  _Gotta get out of here!_ He turned and barreled head-first towards the wall, throwing up his arms to protect his face plate. He smashed right through the solid brick, the fresh air feeling  _divine_ to him once he left the toxic cloud behind.

All of the soldiers around whirled into his direction, shouting for reinforcements. Alex ducked and pulled his arms closer to his body, gathering his energy and building pressure.

Two Supersoldiers jumped at his head in that moment, forcing him stumbling to the front, then to his knees.

But the pressure was spiking. Alex let it go with a wordless howl, slamming his fists deep into the concrete beneath. The ground shattered when his massive Groundspikes broke forth, killing everybody within a hundred feet. The compound errupted into panicked shouts and alarmed screams. Alex snarled and ripped himself free as the spikes drew back, then shifted to his Blade to intercept the third D-Code coming at him. The man was smarter, dodging to the side to pick up a ruined Humvee and chuck it at Alex.

“Strike Team incoming!”

Alex rolled to the side, then changed his course and headed right for the walls, pulling back his Armor while on it. He was in a flat sprint eight steps later, cracking the ground beneath. The D-Codes were hot on his heels, so he immediately rocketed off the floor and leapt against the towering financial tower to rush upwards.

“Right behind ya!” He lost a second to surprise when he stared back, noting the two D-Codes chasing after him, scaling the building's facade just as easily as he did.

_What the..._

Alex changed course and headed around the corner, then leapt off. The men predictably came after him, so he instantly altered his trajectory with an air-dash, so they shot past him. Then he soared across the street, did another sharp turn at Bridge Street to touch down against the Financial Center and catapulted himself across the street to reach the other facade. He headed upwards in a spiraling motion, eyes peeled for the Apaches circling overhead.

His Whipfist was formed in an instant as he shot upwards at the edge of the roof, twisting in mid-air to shoot the barbed talon out. Managing to snatch one of the Apache's wheel. Alex grinned as his momentum whipped the aircraft around. He reeled in his arm, dragging himself towards the helicopter, so he could settle against its side. The men inside jerked hard at his appearance, and the chopper started to spin, higher and higher, trying to shake him off.

Alex easily yanked out the side door, grabbed the gunner and flung him out like trash while pushing inside. The pilot screamed as he reached for him, burrowing his hand through his sternum to kill and consume his prey, even as he climbed over the console to settle into the now vacant seat.

He took control of the aircraft, stopped its spinning and simply targeted the first of the other Apaches. He fired a single Hellfire missile, eradicating his foe. The others veered to the side, and Alex pushed down the nose of his craft, shooting across the sky to escape.

 


	21. A Dream of Armageddon

 

Ragland had been nervous. More than nervous, actually, he had been high-strung ever since he had discovered the map. A map that shouldn't have been there.

Somebody had figured out where he was, and more importantly- where _Alex_ spent time. His morgue wasn't as safe as he had thought. After Alex had left, he had locked everything down and taken the gun, had waited for three hours.

Nothing. Logically speaking, if Blackwatch had their eyes on him, then they would have stormed the moment Alex was gone.

But nobody turned up. Two more hours later and Ragland had to realize that whoever had put the map here just wanted _Alex_ , but hadn't been interested in him. He still kept the gun, though, put it into a drawer at his desk, before going to check up on the girl.

Several hours had passed at this point, and he had been summoned upstairs a few times to help the actual doctors with the treatment of their patients. With the lack of personnel, he couldn't blame them nor deny their requests.

It was a good cover story, though- if he was actually witnessed helping around the hospital, then nobody was going to suspect he had a secret patient confined downstairs inside the morgue. Though it did mean he had to walk a lot of stairs to avoid getting stuck in the elevator. _The things I do for these kids..._

His neck crawled when he noticed the door was no longer locked, though asides from him, who had a key, he could only think of one other person who could unlock it to get inside. And his suspicion was proofed to be correct when he spied a hooded form through the glass window of his office.

“Hello Ragland”, the newcomer spoke up when the coroner walked into his realm. Ragland sighed and headed to the small quarters, head inclined to the side.

“Good to see you back, Alex”, he mentioned. “So- what was this about?”

“I'm not sure”, was the reply, and the doctor was taken back by the lack of tone in his voice. Something had occurred, he noticed, something he had to think about first and/or was unwilling to share. He wasn't going to make him, if he wanted to tell him, then he was going to do so eventually.

Meanwhile, Alex's fingers moved over the IV drip next to Dana's head, tugging carefully at the tubes. “Hydration?” He asked.

“Yes”, the doctor replied, leaning against the door frame. Somehow, he was glad not having to dwell on the unspoken questions. “She was dehydrated, and while the swallowing reflex is there, I didn't want to risk accidentally choking her.”

“Thank you” The younger gently brushed his fingers through the woman's hair, before he turned to the coroner. “I shouldn't stick around”, he pointed out in what seemed to be a defeated tone. “Blackwatch has tech that allows them to track me. And this map...” he trailed off, unwilling to continue. Ragland still picked up the meaning. Somebody had brought this map here, so they had known that Alex was around. Even though nothing had happened today, he couldn't be certain it would remain that way. It would be safer if he wouldn't stay here.

“What are you going to do?”

“Stop Greene. Stop the Infection. Stop Blackwatch”, was the answer. He paused, shoulders slumping. “And after that? I don't know.” He glanced back at his younger sister, silent for a bit. The coroner could see the conflict on his face. Remain here with the only one who actually meant something to him, or leave to protect her? A tough decision. “Tell me”, he suddenly spoke up, “What have you done when you were still at Gentek?”

Ragland's eyebrows shot up as he considered the question. “I did a lot at Gentek- what do you mean?”

“Blacklight”

_Ah. So that's the reason._ The coroner huffed out, sitting down on his couch. “I told you I was trying to find a way to end diseases. Cancer, HIV...I wanted to make the world a better place.”

“By using Redlight?”

“Its abilities were interesting. It was able to rewrite living tissue, active DNA within a very short amount of time. But it could not be brought into any desired form, too varied the mutations. So Gentek created Blacklight, an offshoot of Redlight and tried it again.” He sighed. “The effects were...impressive. It could gain whatever genetic traces we wanted. For a time, we thought we could use it to eradicate plagues by simply rewriting the human genome to improve the immune system.”

“And then you left.”

“Yes. Because I found out what Raymond was doing. He had been working close with somebody, Blackwatch I know now. The project started to turn into the directions of developing weapons. _Human_ weapons.” He looked at the younger. “You see, if you were able to change the human genome, why just stop at making them resistant to diseases? Project Blacklight soon became something that would mutate living humans, bend them to the will of their handlers and make them weapons that could be employed against whatever they wanted. When I learnt of it, I instantly reached in my resignation. This was something I wanted to have no part in.”

“But they continued. Even without you.”

“Yes, I know”, Ragland huffed out, “We tried to play God. And the city is paying the price.”

“Eighty percent are infected now”, Alex added. “2.4 million people. All dead.”

“I should have tried to stop Raymond”, Ragland replied tired. “But I guess all of us had been blind to the threat that was Redlight.”

Alex made a sound and cocked his head. “Did you know of Elizabeth Greene?”

Ragland shook his head. “I didn't”, he replied truthfully. “Hadn't known of her until you told me. If I had...” He furrowed his brows. “Wouldn't have made a difference, I think. Gentek and Blackwatch had thought this too important. If I had said anything, I guess I'd be dead already.”

“Probably” Alex glanced at him for a moment as if thinking about saying anything more, but then decided against it and simply turned away. “Stay safe, Ragland.”

* * *

 

Leaving his only ally and Dana behind had been a very hard decision. Originally, he had come back to make sure Blackwatch hadn't taken them- but once he had seen both of them unharmed, he had realized that the only threat to them around was _him_ . Blackwatch was after _him_ , not them. And as long he stayed near them, he was always going to drag them into his problems. Leaving them had been his only choice to ensure their safety, though it took away every last thing from him he still possessed. Dana's safehouse was gone, no longer secure after the Leader Hunter had attacked. He had only dared to return there once to gather supplies and take them to Ragland's morgue, which now no longer served as a place to stay either.

So he had found his way to the Central Park Zoo and was now sitting on a bench near the sea lion exhibits. It was empty, as was the entire zoo. The animals had long since gotten eaten by the Infected, so now they no longer held any interest in this place, making it the most secure place at the moment, allowing him some peace until he had found another place to stay.

Did he need a safehouse, however? He had no requirements for human necessities, didn't need food or water or even sleep. He could keep on going for days, hunt down the scientists and any affiliated parties of Blackwatch without slowing down or pausing.

He just wasn't sure whether he really _wanted_ to, though. After the revelation that he wasn't human _at all_ , he was just afraid that he might find more things that he would rather have not known. And while being more enlightened than he had been and having some of his abilities put into perspective, he couldn't deny that it made him feel betrayed. Betrayed out of what he had thought was a life, an identity.

He lifted his hand, tendrils squirming across it to twist it into his claw. His bones, his flesh, the entire structure shifted. Because there wasn't a person beneath, just the virus. Alex Mercer had never been more than another act the virus played in an attempt to be human. But he had learnt the truth, had found the secrets beneath. Had discovered that Alex Mercer was just as real now as James Goodwin, or Armand Helden. Nothing more than a disguise to hide his true nature.

Why was he still using Alex's face then? Why did he return to it every time he shifted, even by accident?

The answer was: Because it was easy. Everybody else he had consumed and could become were just acts. Complete pictures, personas he imitated. It was just as easy as breathing for him to do so, but he was always feeling...well, _trapped_ inside that role. It wasn't _him_ , and he had to constantly remind himself to keep acting it, no matter what he was thinking. But Alex Mercer was a blank canvas. There were some markers, some bits and pieces that gave a rough outline, but everything else was open to imagination. That was why he kept returning to this form.

It was _him_ , not only Alex, but his own identity now too. Kind of funny, really. A virus dressing up as a human, attempting to appear as something it was not.

Though if he wasn't human, then hunting down Blackwatch wasn't exactly _inhuman_ , wasn't it? Just karmic retribution. They had a hand in creating him, tried using him as a weapon, so a weapon he was going to be. Just weapons could be turned on their creators too. And hunting Blackwatch to make sure nothing like this ever happened again gave him something to do.

He also still needed information. Greene was out there, somewhere on the island, and he had not only manage to find her, but also find a way to stop her. He had to learn all he could about Bloodtox, about the Supersoldiers, about the plans Blackwatch was making.

Because Blackwatch kept an eye on the Infection. They would know where Greene was and how to lure her out.

_How do you get the attention of the officer? You kill all of his men._

This was all he could do. Wipe out the Infection the old-fashioned way by killing its carriers. Unravel all of the secrets Blackwatch surrounded itself with. It gave him something to occupy his mind with. He wasn't human, he couldn't change anything about it anyways. He glanced at his hands, letting his claws shift into place as the memories of a hundred dead men picked up in intensity, half-formed fears and terrors at the sight of those talons that rendered so many of them to pieces. It always grew bad when he was fighting, but when he had nothing to do, the constant whispering was way worse.

He couldn't silence all those voices. But he could damn well drown them out with the riot of battle.

* * *

 

As the sunset dyed the sky in bright red colors, the Hive Mind was in uproar. Starting from the Central Park Zoo, Alex had assaulted every Hive along the Eastside he could find. He had devastated four large ones, several smaller Hives, countless infected water towers and killed thousands of Infected while at it. In between each Hive, he had looked for carriers, had swooped down into the street to kill them, or consume them if he hadn't gotten enough prey around the Hives to power his attacks. The Hive was screeching in agony at the loss of so many, and more than once he had heard Greene's wails echo through the Hive Mind.

It always brought a grim smirk to his face when he heard it. She had taken his family, so he was going to take hers in return. One by one.

An Apache overhead took his attention, and Alex instantly dove for a derelict couch somebody had dragged on this roof to have any type of weapon to throw at the chopper. But it pulled away without paying attention to him, and he relaxed a little. But he was in a dangerous area. There was a base not even three blocks away from his current location, and Marines were swarming the streets.

Something rang.

Alex jumped slightly, then instantly looked around. It wasn't the beep of an UAV that was betraying his position, but rather...a phone?

Nobody seemed to react, though that was when he realized that the normal humans were unable to hear it from the street, because the ringing was coming from the backside of a billboard. He approached it, frowning at the phone stuck there with duct tape. Who in the world would stick a phone here?

_Sound familiar? It should. You are not human. You are the Blacklight virus._

With a deep growl, he ripped it off and mashed down the answer button with more force than necessary.

“The fuck was that?!” He snapped before the other could say anything.

“ _A warning”_ , his contact replied without missing a beat.

“You sent me into a fucking trap!”

“ _You survived, didn't you? If you hadn't then I'd be sorely overestimating your abilities.”_

Alex ground his teeth together audibly. Joy, his inside contact was an asshole. But then again, so was he, so he probably deserved it. “Tell me”, he snarled, “What was this about?”

“ _You've seen what Blackwatch will try to employ against you.”_

“D-Codes. Bloodtox.”

“ _Yes”_ The tone was definitely disgusted, Alex noticed. _“D-Codes. You know where these fucks come from? When Greene got out, Blackwatch decided to pump a bunch of guys full of highly infectious steroids, see what'll happens.”_

“Virus?”

“ _Your little brothers, if you want it that way. DX-1120, another charge originating from your strain. Seemed to work, but this stuff is only three weeks old. There's no saying what'll happen in the future.”_

Alex growled. “They couldn't stop me.”

“ _They aren't supposed to stop you. They're supposed to slow you down for the heavy weapons and point out your position.”_

“And the Bloodtox?”

“ _Causes necrosis in infected tissues. You probably have already noticed it.”_

“Yeah.”

“ _And this is what I want to talk to you about. Right now, Blackwatch's only motivation is fielding the weapon as far and wide as possible. They're already moving to blanket the island with it, and once they've got you boxed in, they'll move in for the kill.”_ The voice was silent for a moment, before there was a snort. _“But they underestimated your adaptation. Redlight will grow immune to it sooner or later, you way before that. We need it however to stop Greene.”_

“So I'll stop them from spreading the stuff everywhere?”

“ _Exactly. Break their grip on southern Manhattan before they can expand their coverage radius. Any questions?”_

“Yes. Who are you?”

“ _Stop them before they ruin our only chance in killing this infection. And keep that damn phone with you, I'm not going to try to figure out where you're going to show your face next.”_

The guy cut the connection. Alex snorted and glared at the phone, then roughly shoved it into his pocket.

Southern Manhattan, huh?

* * *

 

Finding the Bloodtox pumps was easy. Coming from downwind, Alex had quickly noticed the itchy feeling again that came from the gas eating away at his surface. Getting on a roof was the easiest choice to avoid it, though there he was in danger of getting spotted by one of the circling helicopters.

He kept close to the walls and inside the shade because of it, steadily switching his attention between them and the pumps on the ground. Three containers were on either side of the construction, each designed to be easily switched out in case it ran empty. More of them had been stacked inside a truck, so they'd be able to spray this stuff for quite a time. The Hive nearby was already withering, the ground covered with dead or dying Infected.

Effective, he had to admit, but like all diseases, Redlight was going to grow immune. And if they were going to use it to lure Elizabeth Greene out of her hiding, then he couldn't allow the virus to build up tolerances.

_I hope I'm doing the right thing..._

He switched to the Musclemass, headed over to the nearest air conditioner and yanked it out to chuck it with full force at the Bloodtox pump down below.

The situation escalated immediately.

“Fuck!” Somebody shouted, “It's ZEUS!”

“It took out Pump number three!”

_Pump three, huh?_ Alex lunged to the side, avoiding a Javelin missile that tore into the building he was on. _Gotta find out how many of them there are._

The gas was thinning as it was not confined inside a building like the last time, though he didn't trust his Whipfist to not break from the necrotic effects. He switched to the thermal vision, seconds before he catapulted himself off his perch and right down into the thick of battle. His paws closed around the closest Blackwatch goon and he rocketed right off the ground, dragging the man with him. He had held his breath for this short moment, so his lungs weren't burning at the moment. His skin however was still crawling, though thankfully a lot less than it had so the day before. His contact with the Bloodtox hadn't been long enough to do any real damage, though it was still unpleasant.

At the very least, he had enough Biomass to spare _and_ fresh one to consume.

He glanced at the guy he had captured, then simply crushed his throat to kill him. His tendrils surged out, grabbed the corpse and twisted every last cell into Blacklight matter to add to his own mass in a tangle of flesh and matter. Memories flashes in front of his eyes, another life, another personality to add to his ever-growing list of personas he could be.

The blow hit him completely unprepared.

Alex was sent careening across the roof to smash into the roof exit, hard enough to break the bricks. His body was still shifting from including the soldier's mass, so he was pretty sure his tendrils snatched up and swallowed up some of the stones as well.

He snarled and freed himself, swinging around to face whoever had dared to tackle him. Two D-Codes.

Alex ducked lower, one arm flattening to his Blade. These guys were like tanks, so he was going to treat them like tanks.

One of them came at him, fist shooting to the front with far more power than a human had any right to. Alex got his Blade in front of his body to absorb the blow, then kicked one leg out to shatter the guy's knee. The man dodged nimbly, seconds before his buddy chucked an air conditioner right at Alex's face. Well, now he knew how the other guys always felt for the split moment they were still alive before the weight crushed them. But he wasn't as fragile as them.

The damaged unit was blown apart when he freed himself, summoning his Armor in the same moment. Agility be damned if he kept losing his footing.

He lunged to the front, cracking the roof he was on as he shot towards the first of the D-Codes. The Supersoldier made a grab for him to stop him, though Alex veered off course the next moment and smashed into the second guy, who hung back. His weight and the speed he had been going at threw the brick house of Blackwatch goon off balance, long enough for Alex to whirl around and slammed his outstretched leg against the side of his throat. This sort of attack would normally take off a Walker's head, though this guy just crashed to the ground heavily. He would recover soon enough, though he was out for the moment.

More than enough to deal with the other guy. Alex already killed three of them. They were tougher than even Hunters, but not as tough as Leader Hunters, and they shared the same weak spots.

He went for the guy's neck again.

The D-Code ducked to the side, letting Alex overshoot his target, though it was just a matter of changing his trajectory with an air-dash. He slammed into the guy from behind, Blade burrowing deep through the man's chest. The giant choked, but to give him credit, he didn't reel over and died like anybody else would have. His massive hands grabbed Alex's shoulders and he basically flipped him over his head and crashed him into the ground, yanking the bloodied Blade free in the process. Alex twisted instantly, whipped around as soon the guy let go of him and lunged to the side to get his free hand under his chest, then pushed off to flip himself back to his feet. The maneuver was something his Armor hindered him from, though he was still quick enough to avoid the steel-toed boot coming down where his head had been just a moment ago.

Fine, they thought they knew all of his tricks? They had no clue what they were up against. Alex snorted and dug his Blade into the roof, channeling his Biomass all throughout the surface. He was starting to feel faint from stretching himself _that_ far, but he needed to cover a lot of ground without resorting to a Devastator.

And anyways, giant black spikes were giant black spikes. When they tore from the ground, the two D-Codes were ripped to pieces. Alex pushed some more Biomass into his Groundspikes for a moment, watching for any sign of movement. When he saw none, he pulled himself back and went over to the two bodies. Eight Bloodtox Pumps were left and he should hurry, though he was more interested in the Supersoldier's physical structure at the moment.

The first thing he noticed was the metal. Metal sheets beneath their skins, reinforcing important areas around their bodies. A normal human wouldn't have survived this sort of invasive surgery. These guys did, because of the virus in their bloodstream.

A virus...that was an offshoot of his own strain? Blacklight was a DX-1118 variant, he knew. So were those D-Codes what Blacklight was _supposed_ to become? He couldn't imagine why anyone would be wanting to exist in this form _voluntarily_ . These men weren't _human_ anymore; anybody with a bit of brain would be able to tell. And according to the men he consumed, there were more than one hundred and fifty of them. So many men, all of them having voluntarily turned into something that clearly did not belong into this world. _He_ didn't have so much troubles since he could easily hide his nature, but they couldn't.

He ground his teeth together and glanced at the Blackwatch troops that were still congregating at the base of the building, staring up. They had taken _everything_ from him, were twisting the rules of nature at their very whim.

They were going to _pay_.

He spun around and grabbed the bodies of the two D-Codes, then simply threw them down to the men's level before stepping up to show himself.

He could _feel_ their terror mount as soon he came into sight in his shiny black carapace. Supersoldiers had been specially designed to fight him hand-to-hand; yet he had beaten them, no wonder these guys got thrown out of the loop.

The moment however was fleeting, and he quickly heard them yell for air support. He snorted and ducked away, pulled back his shell to leap across the street and get between one of the high towering buildings. By the time the strike team came knocking, he would be already halfway across Midtown.

He didn't stick around. He still had eight more Pumps to destroy, so he couldn't bother with Apaches. This was why Alex headed to the one Bloodtox team that was currently furthest away from his position. Diverse their attention all over the area and their coverage would become inadequate.

At least for the first few. After that, they would concentrate on the remaining teams, as Randall himself declared the pumps as top priority. It wasn't going to be easy, but Alex didn't want to leave even a single pump standing.

And if he could destroy some of those D-Codes while at it, then he was going to do so.

* * *

 

When the fifth pump had fallen victim to a crashing Apache, Blackwatch was thrown into turmoil. Their aggression had jumped up dramatically, but bullets couldn't stop Alex and he took care to never stay in their line of vision until he had found the pump, gotten his hands on any projectile big and heavy enough to damage the obstacle and lined up a shot.

Without his shell, he was easier to damage with explosive ammunition, but his increased speed and agility outweighed this disadvantage. Pump three had been installed on top of a fifty-story apartment building complex. Alex had grabbed a cab off the street and sprinted up the facade with such a speed he utterly took the two D-Codes and the half dozen Blackwatch goons by surprise. They hadn't even time to react when he shot straight skywards with his projectile still hefted over his head. He took out the pump and four of the men with the car, then proceeded with chopping one of the D-Codes in half with a brutal overhead swing delivered with his Blade. The other had gotten his act together faster than the two Blackwatch soldiers had, so Alex had been faced with the guy's wrath. He had ended getting pile-driven into the apartment below the roof, just like back when he fought that Leader Hunter, though unlike the beast, the Supersoldier remained nimble and agile even in the cramped quarters, much to his chagrin.

But, like the Leader, the D-Code also didn't manage to survive when Alex punched a hole through his upper torso, utterly eliminating his skull and neck with his small Devastator (which he called 'Critical Pain Devastator'), then consumed him simply out of spite. It maybe hadn't been his smartest choice, because of the other D-Code he already had consumed the day before, there was simply too much metal floating around inside his Biomass, constantly colliding with each other and seriously hampering his movement. And unlike the people and even most of their clothes, metal and plastic was not compatible with Blacklight.

On the positive side, he had figured out that Blacklight was quite skilled at rejecting unwanted substances to increase its own efficiency. But it still twisted something on his inside as he witnessed large parts of himself turn into a half-fluid mess that pushed out and discarded chewed metal plates, bullets and fragments, buttons, even fake teeth. Just another reminder that he wasn't who he thought he was.

It left a bad taste in his mouth, though at the same time he knew perfectly well that there was nothing he could do about it. Crying over it wouldn't help him in any ways, nor would it stop Greene and Blackwatch. He had to work with what he had, going step for step.

And the current objective was to take out the remaining Bloodtox Pumps. Alex had toyed with the idea of snatching one of the Apaches and rain hellfire down on them, though there were entirely too many soldiers with missile launchers around and in locations not easily picked up from the sky. He would probably lose his chopper before even getting close, which was why approaching the teams on foot was the better alternative.

He was currently standing on a tall roof and glanced down, focusing on the pump on the ground. The soldiers around hadn't noticed him. Yet.

Time to change this.

Alex ducked down and coiled the muscles in his legs, switching to the Musclemass in the same process. His body buffed up dramatically, and he could feel the mass inside his lower extremities start to curl together.

He waited until the pressure almost got too much, then let go.

He rocketed at least twenty stories straight upwards, adding nearly half the total height of the building he had been on within _seconds_. The acceleration alone would have killed a human, but Alex barely felt it. Instead, he turned his attention back downwards, where the dense Bloodtox cloud was almost swallowed by the sheer distance he had to it. He ground his teeth together and shifted his position slightly. At the apex of his jump, his Armor had crawled over his body and his upwards force finally petered out.

He gave off a powerful burst of air- and hurled his own body downwards. His tough carapace reduced the air draft extremely, so he shot downwards like a missile. The kinetic energy he build up was given off the very moment he hit the street- and the interesection simply stopped to exist. Alex himself was hurled all the way through the ground to the subway tube, where his body finally stopped. Despite the Armor, he was completely wrecked. His shell had shattered, leaving black and red tendrils crawling all around him frantically to fix his body. Every motion _hurt_ , but only for a few moments until he pulled the chitinous carapace back and redistributed the mass to fix himself back together. His biology had the advantage that even such crippling injuries didn't really matter to him. It was just a matter of pushing everything back into place. He barely lost any mass too, not like with a Devastator.

Much like in humans, the pain he was experiencing was just a signal of his body that his current shape was damaged or that something was wrong. But unlike humans, Alex had no problem switching the pain off, as it wouldn't make any sense for a _virus_ to actually feel pain.

Currently the Bloodtox was seeping down to him, being denser than air meant that it readily flooded into the hole he had torn. Alex snorted and shot back to the surface and out of the toxic cloud. In this area was nothing left alive anyways. His Bulletdive Drop had utterly devastated pretty much everything around, so there was no reason to stick around. One pump was left, and he could hear it all over the block that Blackwatch was starting to lose their nerves.

Orders were shouted to get reinforcements, choppers were frantically searching the rooftops and every remaining man was pulled back into the vicinity of the last pump. He'd better scout the area first, before he went to destroy it.

Alex shifted into a Blackwatch soldier, grabbed a forgotten rifle off the ground and headed towards the last Bloodtox area. The buildings around had been evacuated, and the military was using their roofs for survey, so they were where Alex moved to. He could already feel the diluted toxin gnawing at his surface, so he quickly left the street level to get to a higher position. The other guys didn't question his presence, especially when he managed to stealthily consume on of their own before stepping out of the exit.

From up there, he had a much better view of the area. The pump was two blocks down the street, spraying its lethal contents everywhere. Three tanks were flanking it, and he had seen at least two helicopters, though the sound echoing off the buildings around meant that there were at least three more in the closer vicinity. No tall buildings either, or better, not one tall enough to build up enough speed for another Drop. At least there were enough air conditioners around, so he decided to go for the direct assault once more. Rip one out, throw it at the pump to destroy it, then get the Hell out of dodge. He would need to keep his agility, so no Armor here. Not too difficult, he had done so before already.

The roof shook slightly when a D-Code landed roughly on it. The Blackwatch soldiers just gave him a cursory side-glance as the giant lumbered through their ranks, masked visage slowly moving along.

The huge body suddenly froze in place when his gaze stuck to Alex. Without warning, the man suddenly lunged to the front, fist smashing the floor where he had been just a second before. Only his quick reflex had rescued him, but at the same time, it completely blew his cover.

_How did that guy recognize him?!_

“ZEUS sighted!” Somebody yelled as bullets started whizzing. “It's attempting to infiltrate the area!”

_Shit._

Alex instantly shifted back to himself, rolling over his shoulder to dodge another blow, then catapulted himself off this roof and to another. The D-Code was in hot pursuit, being able to move nearly as fast as he did, though Alex realized he was having other problems: Mainly the Apaches that swooped down to spray the area in an attempt to kill him. With the big guy on his ass, it was hard to concentrate on them, though.

Which one to kill first? The Apaches? Or the Supersoldier?

An Hellfire missile exploding next to Alex made the decision easier. The helicopters, it was. He switched back to his Musclemass and shot off the roof, slamming his shoulder hard into the first Apache's tail to snap it off. The chopper careened off to the side, crashing into another. The combined friction blew both up in a powerful ball of fire, though Alex didn't waste any more time. He slammed hard into the roof, darted over to the wreckages and yanked one up to instantly throw it at another chopper. The D-Code used that moment however to bodily tackle into Alex and wrap his massive arms around him from the back, immobilizing him completely and slamming him into the roof hard. Alex hissed and threw his head back, smacking the back of his skull against the guy's mask to shatter it.

The Supersoldier loosened his hold slightly with a pained shout, just enough for Alex to scramble free and get some needed distance. One of the remaining Apaches swung down in that moment, forcing him to dodge to the side with a powerful leap. He hit the facade of the building a bit down the street, nearly above the pump. And, more importantly, near the guards with Missile Launchers.

Alex immediately changed his trajectory and dove into the toxic cloud, switching to thermal vision to actually see something through the dense mist and holding his breath to avoid swallowing any of the stuff while he lunged at the closest soldier. He smashed into the guy, grabbed the weapon and instantly whirled around to fire it at the Apache.

The helicopter exploded, and the shockwave cleared some of the gas away. The D-Code came at him in that moment, and Alex quickly rolled to the side, ignoring the cloud gnawing at his flesh. He had dealth with the parasite, the Bloodtox was only a minor nuisance compared to it.

But he still preferred it gone, so he lunged at the Supersoldier the next moment, seized a firm hold on his collar and whirled him around to literally throw him into the pump, utterly shattering it.

Alex immediately turned tail and headed back upwards, sprinting up a building's facade to get out of the still lingering cloud. The last Apache tried to box him in, but he instantly changed trajectory and headed around the building, then leapt off and against the next one to shake his pursuer.

The pumps were finally done for, General Randall was going to blow a gasket and Redlight was not going to be further exposed to the stuff. He wondered what was going to happen next, and who his mysterious contact was.

Though for now, he could focus on getting away. Once he did, he was going to get back into the city, use the cover of darkness to find Blackwatch's scientists and stop them from taking samples of the virus to make sure they would never do anything like this again.

 


	22. The World set free

 

Alex had never realized how long the nights have been. Before, he always had someone to come back to. But now, with Dana at Ragland's and him having cut the contact, there was nothing left to do asides from fighting. And fighting had become more tedious. Not from the strength of the Infected, but rather because there simply was no serious foe left. All Alex had found were hordes of normal Infected and occasionally Walkers, but even Hunters went missing.

No infected water towers either. It was as if they had simply disappeared.

They were still there, he knew. The Infection had picked up on speed too, had spread all over the island. The Blue Zones were still at their normal size, but the unoccupied areas had shrunken dramatically. Hives simply stopped growing, and those that were still present started to grow denser Biomass. The Infection was still there, still taking over- but it was  _hidden_ . Slaughtering the Infected themselves was just fighting the symptoms of the disease and was ultimately a massive waste of time and energy.

Finding Blackwatch's science teams, however, had proofed to be a little bit more successful. With more than eighty percent of the city infected, finding teams studying the effects was easy. By consuming the guards, Alex also learnt where the other teams were, and through the scientists he learnt more about McMullen, about Gentek, about Hope. Even  _PARIAH_ , Greene's child. Rumors about it, about its abilities. He knew the kid wasn't anywhere around here in Manhattan, just  _where_ still eluded him. And Gentek was going to run out of people at that rate, before he figured it out.

While all of it was quite informative and created a sort of blueprint for what he was going to do after Manhattan, it was just idle activity. What he really wanted, what he  _had_ to do, was to kill Elizabeth Greene. And she was still hiding from him. He had a good idea where she was, though- hiding in the underground maze of Manhattan. There were more than enough subway, steam and cable tunnels to be found- and they were still intact. He had seen it when he shattered the street with his Drop before.

Just the maze beneath was a  _lot_ larger than the city above. And as soon Greene would realize he was actively hunting her, she would relocate and force him to start over again. It would only end as soon all life had been consumed by Redlight. And this was something Alex could not allow to happen. He had to find a way to get Greene out into the open, to fight her directly.

He paused in realization.  _The Bloodtox_ .

If he could manage to get the toxin into the underground, then the undiluted gas would drive all of them out for easy access. And coincidentally, there was a Bloodtox factory to the north of Harlem.

If he could go there and find a way to deliver the toxin into the underground without anybody noticing, then he could draw Greene out and kill her. But she was strong, so he would need backup.

But...he had backup, didn't he?

His contact was Blackwatch. And whoever it was did have quite some leverage inside. Which meant, there was probably a plan to take Greene out in the making. After all, Blackwatch wanted her back, didn't they? If he could tag along like he did when he took the Thermobaric tank, then he would be close enough to kill Greene as soon they had lured her into the open, while at the same time an army would suffice to distract any Infected trying to protect her.

Alex pulled out the phone from his pocket and hit redial. He let it connect, then shut it off again. His contact would figure out he wanted to talk to him- and he had told him to keep the phone on him at all times, after all.

As it was, he didn't have to wait for too long. He just climbed up on  _Hearst Tower_ when his phone chimed. He crouched down beneath the askew-hanging satellite dish to avoid detection, then answered.

“ _Mercer. What is it?”_

Well, to give that guy credit, he didn't complain about him ringing him up. “The Infection is hiding underground after you hit it with the Bloodtox. Now it's massing there.” He replied, then cocked his head. “And soon enough it is going to come back up, tear your defense to shreds and take over completely. I'm sure you guys have noticed it too.”

The contact snorted, though it sounded vaguely amused.  _“You are smarter than I gave you credit for. Yes- they already figured out that much.”_

“They have a plan?”

“ _They're going to transport the Bloodtox inside a pumper vehicle. They want to take it to Times Square, pump the stuff into the Underground to force Redlight out. But in their haste they failed to secure the route.”_

“And this is where I come in?”

“ _Regrettably. But without you, the machine won't get within a mile of Times Square. I guess it would be best if you...took out the base leader. He has orders to lead the convoy.”_

Alex had heard the hesitation in his contact's voice, even though he tried masking it. _“There is a catch, though. They have orders to shoot anything remotely infected on sight.”_

“I can make sure they won't see me”, Alex snorted, remembering how the D-Code blew his cover. “What about the Supersoldiers?”

“ _They have viral scanners attached to their masks. Heavy as hell, which is why normal soldiers don't have them, but it makes them a lot more capable of finding viral targets.”_

“What is the range?”

“ _Around thirty feet, give or take some. Make sure they don't see you, or else the entire thing's going to fail.”_

He cut the connection suddenly, dropping him back into silence. Alex shoved the phone back into his pocket and rolled his shoulders, glancing to the north. Harlem, huh?

* * *

 

From afar Alex had already smelt the stench of Bloodtox in the air. He had found some low buildings just out of the range of the complex to scan the area. This place used to be a gas refinery until 2002. During the course of removing possible threats following the Attack at the World Trade Center, it had been abandoned, so now Blackwatch had moved in to use the available tech to brew their Bloodtox. The stuff hung in clouds all over the place, making it probably the most secure place in all of Manhattan. Alex forced down the coughs that tried to make their way out of his throat to keep hidden.

The D-Codes that were walking along on the ground hadn't noticed him yet, too busy overseeing how the other soldiers- Blackwatch as well as Marines- manned tanks or loaded supplies into trucks. Three helicopters were ready for dispatch, their purpose was probably to keep an eye on the convoy from above. The men were nervous, he noticed, while ready to do whatever needed to be done, their instincts were screaming at them to warn them from the danger.

A flash of white took his attention and his pulse sped up when he noticed the commander march over, barking at the men.

Alex pulled up a Blackwatch disguise and headed around to reach the courtyard, then carefully dropped down. The toxic air was stealing his breath, and his entire surface started to burn when the gas ate away at his skin, though considerably less than during his first meeting with the stuff. He choked it down and headed around a corner, eyes flicking between the Supersoldiers and the commander. The big guys were hanging around at the entrance of the yard, well out of the reach of any present scanners. Then Alex paused.

No viral scanners  _anywhere_ , and the giants were keeping away from the Bloodtox Cloud. Thinking about it...even the day before they never stayed for long inside the toxic atmosphere. But they were Blackwatch, so why did they avoid their own stuff?

Because they were infected too. Infected with a strain of Blacklight that gave them their strength and abilities.

They would trigger the alert, and were affected by the Bloodtox just as much as he was. Their suits offered some protection, but obviously not enough. Alex tilted his head quizzically. How could he use this for his advantage?

The easiest answer was: By sticking too close to the cloud for comfort. They wouldn't go there, wouldn't think that he actually dared being in this area, which was exactly why he was going to do this. He carefully inched along, feeling his Biomass die and flake off every moment he moved too deeply into the concentrated pockets. He growled under his mask, then swiftly set after the commander. The dense fog around them, even when not in concentrated form, still lowered the visibility immensely and allowed him some sort of cover. He didn't need more. He grabbed the commander from behind, muffled any possible noise, crushed his neck and pulled him inside. His body was incredibly grateful to find some form of relief from the biting acid in the air, though it didn't last long and the transformation itself, the loosing of his surface, allowed much more of the toxin to seep into his body and cause damage deep beneath his outer layers.

Alex gasped once, than quickly headed out of the thicker concentrations into the slightly cleaner air. But he had managed to get what he had come for: He had acquired a secure disguise along with all the information he wanted. The convoy was scheduled to start out soon.

He managed to catch the attention of one of the D-Codes, knowing fully well he was out of the range of their scanners, and made a short hand sign. The giant turned and lumbered away, drawing his team with him. Alex exhaled and went for one of the helicopters. Apaches, in this case- heavier armed, armored and more agile than Blackhawks. He eyed the soldiers around, then tapped his radio.

“Okay People!” He barked with the tone of the late Charles Tunney. “Get your shit together and move out! Let's get this thing to Times Square now!” The men scrambled to order, manned the tanks and barked orders. Alex moved towards one of the Apaches, then glared at the Marine pilot. “I take this”, he ordered, “Keep an eye on the fucking area.”

“Sir.” The man didn't question, since Tunney used to be an Air-force Pilot before Blackwatch.

Alex climbed into the cockpit, taking over the pilot's seat and waited for the gunner to get on. The convoy set in motion already, the heavy pumper vehicle flanked by four D-Codes and eight tanks, four Marine, four Blackwatch. The three Apaches followed after them with Alex's aircraft to the front. He subtly changed his eyes, turning into the Hive Mind and his thermal vision from time to time. If anything came at them, he would see it.

And the first things already jumped the convoy not even three blocks down the street. Alex had noticed them, of course, though instead of taking control of the aircraft, he just delayed orders. Two D-Codes moved to clear the infestation out, and Alex watched how the men simply broke apart Infected like toys and then took out a single Hunter almost laughable easily. It was hard not to see himself fighting there, it was only lacking blood and dismembered bodies.

Then his sharp eyes picked something up. A tiny crack in the street, not very large, but spreading rapidly.

He mashed down the call button. “Heads up!” He warned, “Copperheads at three o'clock!”

The others couldn't form a reply when suddenly the ground shattered and a single Hydra burst forth, screeching. It instantly whipped around, attempting to grab a car off the street when Alex yanked control away from the gunner sitting in front of him, swooped down and peppered the thing with unguided missiles. The car blew up, along with large parts of the Hydra's upper body, and the thing collapsed to the ground dead.

“Impressive, sir”, the gunner commented.

Alex grunted, partly from his own reaction and partly imitating the commander. “Don't stare, that's how you have to do it if you want to keep on breathing.”

“Sir”

Alex leaned back, listening to the Hive Mind. It was buzzing with activity and every single Infected was only demanding to do  _one_ thing. To stop the humans. “They're coming”, he growled darkly to no-one in particular. But the gunner still took it as a sign to nod in affirmation.

Whatever they have woken when they killed the Hydra, it was coming at them. Infected, hundred thousands of them. The Walkers were hardly an opposition, with their squishy bodies and suicidal tendencies to run head-first into a tank's treads. The Hunters were different. They were faster, more agile,  _smarter_ \- and they took all of the D-Codes' attention.

Alex growled and grabbed the radio. “Tanks three and five- rapid-fire on the bastards at eight! Tank four- Load in the heavy shells, take out that bastard at two!”

“ _Sir!”_ The men already took down the Infected, even before he had actually finished his order. It was a mistake underestimating them, he realized. Just because they usually had no chance against him, Blackwatch was still a threat. A massive threat capable of taking down hordes of Infected with little to no problems, capable of burning out any witnesses and destroy whatever they set their eyes upon. And even the Hunters weren't as tough as they were when facing depleted uranium shells. He needed to remember this and remain wary of them. Overconfidence would get him killed.

More Infected swarmed them, but the convoy easily plowed through them like they weren't present at all. They were making good progress, though they were going slow. And they weren't even out of Harlem yet. Alex knew the route- right through the Central Park, then down to the Times Square. Central Park had been chosen mostly because the lack of tall buildings made it hard for Hunters to ambush them from above, but the trees definitely allowed them too much cover. And the soft ground wouldn't crack as obviously, allowing Hydras to attack them much stealthier.

But that was something to worry about once they actually  _reached_ the area. Alex snorted and took the gunner's attention. “Copperheads”, he warned him just in time for another snake to emerge. “Keep your fingers off the targeting system and just spray the bastards with missiles.”

He swung the Apache in a circle around the Hydra, letting the man shoot it while he focused on moving. The snake chucked a cab at them, and Alex yanked the controls to the side, easily avoiding the projectile while the Hydra quickly succumbed to its injuries.

Another popped up nearby, screeching, but one of the other Apaches copied his maneuver and took it down before he had to act. Was better that way maybe, so nobody was going to ask too many questions. Alex just hoped he hadn't helped making the strike teams even more annoying than they already were. But that couldn't be helped- he needed all the distraction he could get to take down Greene.

“ _We got contact!”_ One of the Supersoldiers pointed out over the cracking of the ground and the screech of those giant serpents. _“Copperheads. Again.”_

“Aim for their base”, Alex ordered, breaking his role slightly, “Don't bother with their heads.” He casually planted a Hellfire Missile into the ground just in the moment one of three Hydras made their appearance, seriously injuring it. “And make sure they don't manage to grab anything off the street.”

His warning was probably unnecessary, but he had to keep up the act. And most Blackwatch troops had no idea what Supersoldiers were able to do, Tunney included. However, to  _him_ it was no surprise when one of the D-Codes leapt up and intercepted a thrown car, whirled it around and chucked it back at the perpetrator without even touching the floor. Alex still found himself amazed though, and saved that maneuver away for later use.

For now, he was content with pitching his chopper out of the way of a jumping Hunter, letting the tanks on street level take care of it. Another part that was Tunney, but not  _him_ .  _Alex_ would have jumped into the brawl, would have destroyed every last opposition to get the pumper to Times Square. What he  _really_ did, however, was to sit here in this helicopter and let others do his job. It was  _threatening_ the safety of the vehicle. Just to keep his cover. 

He didn't like it, so all he could do was to make sure that  _nothing_ got close to the pumper. He advised the gunner to keep the machine gun ready to blow any Infected to pieces that dared to go closer than a few yards, though most of them easily got crushed by the tanks' treads.

But it made Alex nervous. Blackwatch knew he could change shapes, could take memories, they knew he was extremely stealthy if he wanted to, knew he could pilot helicopters, hijack tanks and take over commanders with no problem.

Technically, they should be more wary about him. But they  _weren't_ .

And it set Alex on the edge. Because  _how_ could they be so blind as to not consider the chance that he might be around?

Because of the Bloodtox?

Huh. Alex frowned and let Tunney's memories play out in front of his eyes. There weren't any larger Infected around that required his attention anyways, so he took this precious moment to look for anything the commander knew about him.

It...wasn't what his contact knew. His contact told him he wasn't human at all, that he was the virus itself. Tunney told him he was just another infected freak. Just another Runner that was scared of them. Scared of Bloodtox, of the D-Codes. Tunney believed that he would never show his face around the Bloodtox facility.

But this wasn't true. Alex  _knew_ that what his contact told him was the truth, that he wasn't infected but rather the Infection itself- his ability to survive what Infected did not was proof enough of this. That Blackwatch didn't know this meant one of two things: a), the upper echelons did not give a shit about their men on the ground and withheld vital information. Or b), most of Blackwatch had no idea what he really was and didn't bother checking it.

It gave him room to work with, though. They didn't believe he would ever be able to tolerate the toxic gas for long, as the other Infected died within the first few seconds. With his body made purely out of the virus, he could tolerate the gas for much longer, maybe even indefinitely as long he had the Biomass needed.

And that had been their mistake. No wonder they hadn't bothered with security.

Alex exhaled and leaned back, his mind put at ease for now. Blackwatch didn't suspect him, thought he had fled somewhere into the Red Zones. They didn't suspect him anywhere  _near_ Harlem. Or their factory. And as long he kept out of the D-Code's line of vision, he could work with it.

* * *

 

Alex swore colorfully. He probably scared the gunner. Or maybe the gunner was scared from the smoke pouring out of the rotor and took their sight. Well  _his_ sight anyways, Alex could see perfectly with his thermal vision. Just it didn't do much for him. He had been right about Central Park- it was a trap.

As soon they had been about halfway in, Hydras and Infected had sprang up from pretty much everywhere and started attacking the convoy. Now the positive side was that Central Park was lacking in cars for them to throw; but on the negative side, it made up for it in  _trees_ . Alex had managed to dodge three of them, while a fourth had hit his Apache with full force. The engine was howling, the rotor smoking and one of the wings had broken off. Alex was glad the thing was still airborne, though he couldn't be sure as for  _how long_ it would remain that way.

And the guys would probably get suspicious if he survived a crashing chopper as if it was nothing. He ground his teeth together. “Fuck this, I'm going down!”

He wrestled at least  _some_ control back over the Apache as it dropped towards the soft ground beneath, so he managed to get the nose up shortly before the craft crashed down left side first. The force of the impact and the momentum sent the chopper across the grass, tearing a trench while the rotor snagged against the soil and finally snapped off.

Alex growled low in his throat as he ripped his seat belts apart as soon the craft stopped moving, and kicked out the door. He could see some Walkers turn towards the crash site and rush into their direction. He snarled in reply, seized the other door and yanked it out, then grabbed the dazed gunner and his heavy duty rifle. He mashed his radio and barked into it. “Need a medic here, but don't you fucking dare stopping for anything!”

He would easily survive he knew, though he had to be careful not to blow his cover. That was why he shouldered the other guy, brought the rifle in position- and rushed back towards the convoy as fast as he could without showing his more superhuman abilities. He had to keep his cover until they managed to reach Times Square, so not using his powers was more like trying to protect Ragland back in that base.

A Walker tried to stop him. He blew up its skull with several armor-piercing rounds, then took out the one following it. An approaching Hunter was gunned down by one of the Abrams, so this was where Alex dragged the gunner. To their credit, the crewmen of this tank had no trouble opening the hatch to pull the man inside, even as they barely slowed down at all. Alex denied any sort of medical attention for himself and merely requested they'd give him a grenade launcher with extra ammunition.

After all, he still had to make sure the pumper got to Times Square in one piece, so he hurried over there, signalled to the driver to slow down a bit, as he jumped up against the doorhandle and pulled himself up to the sturdy metal casing of the Bloodtox tank with no problem.

From there, he had a good view of the area and the riot around. Most of the Hydras had been picked off, though they were down on one Apache and five tanks. A gang of Hunters had taken down two of the D-Codes too, so their defences were starting to dwindle. Alex growled under his breath, swung his grenade launcher into position and fired one shot at a group of Walkers, rending them to bloody bits.

“Don't stop!” He barked into his radio, spinning around to blast another pesky Walker's head off with the heavy machine gun he still had. “Nothing is going to stop us from taking this heap of shit to Times Square!”

The last Hydra screeched and started thrashing before it slowly succumbed to the injuries it had sustained, meaning the area was cleared for the moment.

“ _Let's get the package home”_ , one of the tank commanders commented. The convoy rolled out of Central Park, heading down the 7th Avenue. They could already see the concrete and steel walls other teams had installed previously, while fresh tanks and men stood ready to receive the pumper. Only half a mile left, but through the dense Red Zone. They couldn't relax just yet, and even over the crunching of the treads Alex could hear the roar of a Leader Hunter. _Wonderful_.

Its massive frame shot across a roof, followed by several Hunters, before the Leader lunged off and shattered the last helicopter. The eight Hunters that had followed it, dropped to the street  _behind_ the tanks and immediately pounced at the heavy vehicles, claws digging through the metal armor. Alex swore and whirled around, watching how the Leader charged towards the pumper. The thing was nearly as large as the vehicle, went at roughly sixty miles an hour and was about to collide with it.

“Fuck”

The Leader Hunter crashed into the pumper with enough force to shove it several yards across the ground, though the armor managed to absorb the worst of the blow. Alex had managed to keep his balance and immediately aimed the grenade launcher at the thing's face, shooting one explosive directly into its maw. The Leader reeled back, howling in pain, so Alex followed up with another grenade into its chest, throwing it back. At the same time, he stomped on the roof of the vehicle and yelled at the driver to get his shit together and speed up.

One Supersoldier slammed into the downed Leader Hunter, lifted it up and drove it into the floor with enough force to shatter its spine.

But Leader Hunters weren't as fragile as normal Hunters. The beast was on its feet the very next second, talons sinking deep into the D-Codes' side. The man jerked back, elbow coming down on the thing's wrist to snap it. Alex would have watched a little, but he had to remind himself that he currently wasn't in the shape of a near indestructible being, but rather a normal human Blackwatch commander who probably was scared out of his wits.

He shot two more grenades at the Leader Hunter and finally-  _finally_ \- killed it by utterly destroying its cranium. The D-Code grunted and pressed his massive arm against the gash in his side which already started to heal up, and turned around. He stopped, staring at him.

Alex froze instantly, finger hovering over the trigger. He was still within the scanner's reach- if that guy recognized him, he would alert Blackwatch.

Then, however, the giant reached up to his mask and the built-in scanner, yanking it off with a grunt. Alex heard him mutter something about 'broken piece of shit', and let out a shaky breath he hadn't known he held. They were so close now, it would have  _sucked_ if his cover got blown so shortly before reaching the goal.

But as it was, nobody had recognized him yet. He exhaled once, and turned to take care of the remaining Infected. They were still a bit away from their designated goal area, and were still under attack. The other D-Code was currently taking one Hunter down, so Alex aimed at one that was trying to break one of the Abrams apart.

Its skull splattered satisfactory under the impact with the explosive projectile. Another one tried to jump him, though he picked it off with a few shots before it got close. The team already on-site now finally came over and took over protecting the pumper vehicle. Alex turned to watch the remaining Hunters freeze for a split second, then all of them suddenly sprinted away at once.

He frowned, knowing perfectly well that this was not over. These guys just pulled back to heal and gather their strength. As the pumper rolled into the fenced-off area next to an open manhole, Alex listened to the Hive Mind.

He heard them gather below, ready themselves. And he heard Greene. Her voice was clear and angry. She was nearby.

Whatever was going to happen, he had to make sure the pump would run long enough to drive Greene to the surface. So he could kill her easily. Once he did, the city would be free.

 


	23. Things to come

 

Somehow, the silence around was unsettling. It shouldn't be, he knew; not with the pumper vehicle being maneuvered towards the manhole and fixed together with countless pipes and tubes. Not with the soldiers around bustling about, barking orders. Not with the tanks rolling up and targeting the streets Blackwatch did not cut off with twelve-foot-walls of steel and concrete. They had cut off the Times Square between the 45 th and 46 th Street, and logically, they should have been neck-deep in Infected, if the constant ambushes on the way here had been any indication.

But they just... _weren't_ .

And Alex knew why.

He had tuned everything else out, was listening to the Hive Mind, but there were simply  _too many_ voices to pick anything up. All of them talking at once, screeching, shrieking; not as language, but feelings, desires, instincts,  _rage_ . The Hive Mind was aware what they were trying, was mobilizing its units to destroy the source of Bloodtox. But the Infected were  _holding back_ . Not a single of them tried to charge into the secured area. 

It was the silence before the storm.

That was why Alex had ordered Tunney's men to form perimeters. Normal soldiers with heavy weapons, their two present D-Codes were to secure the area and drive any Infected to the streets (he did so from a safe distance, keeping close to the infected spots to avoid detection), and their tanks were to shoot at  _anything_ that dared to come at them. He had the pumper surrounded with enough guns to take down an army. If anything came near, it would be blown to bits.

He still did one last round across the perimeters, checked whether there was anything nearby. Nothing, and it bothered him. Even the Walkers he could see that were stumbling aimlessly along the streets didn't seem to be interested in the troop or the pumper. Was this to feign safety?

Most likely.

Alex snorted and went over to the control panel at the side of the pumper, propping his grenade launcher up against his shoulder as he started tapping the buttons. Time to spice thing up.

“Okay”, he muttered as he yanked the main lever down. “Let's see what we can shake loose.”

The pumper wailed out once, then it started to huff like a steam engine. Thick red wafts of toxic gas poured out of the not-so-tight seal between feeding tube and manhole, making Alex step back with a grimace. This stuff was  _concentrated_ , much more unpleasant than what he'd seen at Harlem.

The Hive Mind  _screamed_ .

Alex flinched back, swearing, just in time for a violent tremor to run through the ground. Loose equipment clattered, and some windows rattled. He whipped around, eyes wide in realization.

“Whoah”, another Blackwatch leader claimed. “There are definitely some serious seismic activities in this area. Do you copy, Red Crown?”

“ _Hold on tight, looks like you woke something up.”_

“They're not coming from out there” Alex cut in with a snarl. “They're coming from _below_!”

The military didn't have enough time to process this when the floor just inside their perimeters shattered. Possibly an Hydra burrow, but now it was filled with Hunters. A dozen of them suddenly poured out of a gaping hole in the ground, roaring enraged.

“Oh Fuck!” Somebody shouted, seconds before heavy machine gun fire drowned out any other noise.

Alex growled and fired a grenade as the closest Hunter opened its maw to roar again, and he easily blew its skull apart. This was  _not_ how this was supposed to go, damnit! These guys were supposed to appear somewhere  _away_ from them, so they would have been able to pick them off before they got close-

But like this?

They were  _inside_ the reach of the tanks, and far  _too_ close to the pump for the heavy equipment to fire, rendering the tanks useless behemoths. In just one moment, their defenses had been reduced to a few men with heavy machine guns, since they couldn't risk using Javelins that close to the pump.

_Fuck_

A Hunter singled him out and lunged at him, Alex easily rolled over his shoulder and out of its reach, then fired a round into the Hunter's back. Unlike its insides however, its skin was tough enough to shrug the blow off with only little damage, so it just stumbled a bit until it had regained its balance. It immediately whirled around to lash out at him, and another came up from behind. Alex grit his teeth and threw himself to the side in the last moment so the first one more or less slapped the second one and raked its claws across its face. The second Hunter yowled and jerked back, then dove at its sibling in reprimand.

Which meant Alex could get some distance between himself and them, and then quickly empty his clip of grenades on them. He took down both of them, but ran out of ammunition that way so he threw the spent launcher at another Hunter. The beast whirled and lunged at him, though Alex easily dodged to the side again. He still had the heavy machine gun, and concentrated fire on the vital organs could put down even Hunters.

But then again...why should he try to keep up his role? The pumper was there, emptying its contents into the ground, and he had to make sure it kept on running long enough to drive Greene to the surface. And he couldn't ensure its safety if he relied on human weapons.

Alex dropped the machine gun and charged the Hunter, tendrils twisting across his shape to form his Armor. When he collided with the beast, the impact was powerful enough to send the much larger creature flying. Alex snarled and his arm flattened into his Blade, while his other arm flared and grew into his massive Shield.

Blackwatch erupted into terror almost immediately. No doubt they just realized that he had been with them the entire time, and that even Bloodtox and D-Codes could not stop him from infiltrating their ranks. Several alarmed shouts of 'ZEUS!' and various alterations of 'Fuck' floated around him.

Alex didn't care about them. While Blackwatch had been useful to him, his current objective was to make sure that  _nothing_ got close to the pump. The Hunter from before had gotten back to its feet. He ran his Blade through its chest and yanked it out towards the ground, splitting the thing nearly in half with one savage strike. The beast collapsed, still twitching but fading fast. He didn't care much for it, just raced towards the rest of the pack, pulling his arms close to his body while pressure started building on his inside. Too much and too fast for Blacklight to be comfortable, but oh so effective. 

The remaining Hunters all charged him, but when they met him, Alex simply  _let go_ . His armor shattered when hundreds of tightly packed steel-like tendrils shot out from his core and just tore through whatever opposition was there like it was tissue. He took out all of them, along with parts of the steel wall and at least one tank (oops).

After floating through empty room for a little while, his tentacles snapped back, and his shell thankfully repaired itself faster than normal when his own mass surged back into him as he rose back to his full height.

“Motherfucking- _Fuck_!” He turned to glance at the soldiers scattered about. While the Marines were staring in shock, Blackwatch was generally together slightly better, but even they were more than unnerved. Alex grunted, the sound twisted into a hollow groan through his face plate, and the men jumped. In an instant, several of them went for their radios, while the others aimed grenade launchers and missile launchers at his face. “Fuck!” Somebody shouted. “We need a strike team at the Times Square!”

“ _Negative”_ , was Red Crown's reply and Alex cocked his head quizzically. _“No strike teams until we got a big target.”_

“Fuck this- ZEUS is here, God damnit!”

“ _Direct orders from the Old Man himself.”_

The man swore and Alex just snorted, motion from the side drawing his attention. The D-Code that still had his mask charged him in that moment. Alex instantly shifted to his Musclemass, and whipped around to grab his foe. The impact was still strong enough to shove him several feet across the floor, but the smaller of both quickly found his footing. The giant freed his hand and threw his elbow at Alex's face. Alex leaned to the side, then seized the arm and flipped the guy on his back, stomping his plated foot down on his throat hard enough to bruise.

It would be so easy to just crush down, sever spine and trachea and remove the guy's head from his body. One less D-Code in the world. One less Blackwatch-made Supersoldier with no right to exist.

The Hive Mind screamed again and the ground shook once more, worse than before. Another section of the ground caved in as more Hunters pushed to the surface. Alex sighed and stepped back, switching back to his Blade as he charge into the fray.

The sharp edge whistled through one of the Hunters easily, sliced off both of its arms while he continued his onslaught and gutted three more before his momentum petered off. In an instant, he kicked off the ground and shot upwards, swinging his weapon down at the apex of his jump.

He came crashing down, chopping another Hunter clear in half. Made one dead, four critically injured. Seven left. Alex lunged at the next one, Blade melting away and turning into his massive Hammerfists. He slammed them down, utterly braining the next one, then whipped around and let the momentum help him crash his fist into one of the injured ones to completely snap its spine.

He went for it next, tentacles unfurling and ensnaring the body to drag it in while the other three suddenly exploded in a shower of organs, bones and blood. Two Abrams had finally pulled up and were now firing at the beasts to protect the pumper vehicle, followed by the howl of helicopter engines. Alex instantly moved to the side, heading up the Hilton's facade. In the heat of battle, it made it easy for him to get away.

He pulled his shell back and crouched low, watching how three Blackhawks swooped down and peppered the small pack with unguided missiles. The area was cleared quickly, and the helicopters landed to supply reinforcements to defend the pumper. His eyes narrowed when four more D-Codes joined the two on the ground. The one he previously manhandled made a fast motion with his hand, and suddenly three of the guys rocketed off the street and hit the low roof he was on hard enough to shatter several windows. Alex whirled around, just in time to dodge one of those giants diving at him. He rolled under the guy's outstretched arms, slapping his hands on the ground with enough force to thrust himself in a corkscrew-like motion upwards and avoid the second D-Code. The third, however, slammed into him just as he came back down and sent him careening across the roof. Alex caught himself in an heartbeat, bouncing off the glass facade of the towering complex behind the Hilton, and rocketed back into the group of Supersoldiers, tucking in his head in the process. He smashed hard into the guy that interrupted him, feeling the body beneath give in from the force of his impact. Alex immediately twisted, brought both his feet against the man's chest and pushed off, catapulting himself high into the air and right above Times Square. D-Codes were able to jump, but they couldn't glide like he could. And this increased mobility in mid-air allowed him to easily escape them for now, while keeping ahead of the more or less clumsy helicopters.

But as much as he wanted to kill every last Blackwatch idiot, he still had a mission to do.

And more Hunters just popped up anyways.

Alex instantly dropped towards the street, Musclemass-enhanced arms swinging down hard to smash the floor and stagger the newly arriving beasts. However, the ground also caved in inside a diameter of several dozen square feet from the force of his impact. The underground was completely hollow, it seemed.

Well, he could use it to his advantage too. Alex growled and dropped to his knees, planting both fists into the floor. When the Hunters regained their balance, his Groundspikes erupted beneath them and ripped them apart.

The howl of a Leader Hunter gave him barely enough warning to yank himself free and dive to the side to avoid a fierce swing that would surely have taken off his head. He swung around, assessing the new threat.

Two Leaders snarled at him, then one broke off and lunged for the pump. Alex immediately went after it, one arm melting back into his Blade as he slammed hard into the Leader. The beast stumbled slightly, but instantly whipped around and swung its massive arm at him. Alex jerked his sword-like arm up to intercept and stop the blow, but the Hunter's talons sank into the weapon and got stuck about halfway through. It hissed enraged and swiped its other arm at him. Alex caught it with an iron-like grip and stopped the Leader dead in its tracks. The other roared and dove at him in that moment however, forcing him to shift to his Armor to protect himself- though curiously the blow never connected.

Two of the D-Codes had charged the beast, had stopped it before it could reach the smaller man. He decided to count it as a win as he turned his attention back to the one he was currently holding to. He leapt off the floor, using its arms to hoist himself up- and delivered a fierce kick to its sternum to make it back off. While the Hunter stumbled, Alex's Blade melted and turned into another Musclemass-enhanced hand, so he could slam both palms flat into its chest. The blow caved in some of its ribcage and the thing staggered, howling.

He jumped at it, throwing one fist deep into its throat to snap one of its spines, then he swiftly climbed over its shoulder and buried the other arm into its second maw. Crooked teeth bit down on his steel-like muscles, tearing wounds, but Alex stubbornly kept digging deeper before he yanked his arm up and crushed its skull from the inside. The Leader bucked up and roared, though Alex swiftly dug in his feeding tendrils and started consuming the beast. Blacklight was the stronger strain, after all, and it was only necessary to get contact without being stopped. It didn't matter whether he had demolished his prey beforehand.

Three seconds later its dry carcass hit the floor and Alex immediately surged to the front, tackling his armored shoulder into the Leader the two Supersoldiers were fighting to make it stumble. At the same moment, his Musclemass turned into his Hammerfists, and he interlinked both hands to slam the concrete limbs into the Hunter's jaw to shatter it. The beast reeled, howling, though he didn't stop there. He crushed his fists down again, smashing its ribcage and sternum, then kicked his foot out to break its knee. As the Leader stumbled to the ground, Alex lifted both fists and brought them down in one fierce blow.

Another voice went silent.

He grunted and lifted himself off, melting his Hammerfists back into more human hands to glare at the two D-Codes, who were joined by the other four. They didn't attack him yet, not like they had previously done.

Instead they had actually  _helped_ him. And he didn't believe it had been necessary. After all, if the Leaders had ganged up on him, then they would have ignored Blackwatch and the pumper. But those guys had interfered, had put targets on their own chests...to help him?

Or maybe they weren't as dumb as he believed them to be.

Their mission was to protect the pump to make sure they dragged Greene to the surface. Alex wanted to do the same.

Their goals aligned perfectly, even though Blackwatch wanted Greene back and he wanted her dead for what she had done to Dana. But for now they were doing the same. The D-Codes would need to be colossal idiots to not understand it.

It didn't mean that he had to like them, though. Alex scoffed and stepped back, glaring at the towering giants. They too were tense, waiting for  _him_ to attack them first, being much better at reacting than acting. But he was doing the same. In a way, Blackwatch's secret weapon and him were circling each other warily, like hungry dogs.

He had no intention getting eaten.

Any movement could set these guys off, so Alex let his hands hang by his sides as he just jerked his chin over his shoulder, motioning into the vague direction of the Hunter's carcasses. “You are aware that there are going to be more of them, yes?”

One of the men snorted. “You'll be the last one we kick to the curb, promise.”

“You can try”, Alex replied easily, “But you won't stop me.”

The pumper vehicle gave another loud huff, followed by another agonized screech through the Hive Mind. Alex growled. “They're coming.”

Air was running out underground, being replaced for the toxic red gas. The Infected grew desperate, and their only chance was to destroy the pump. But he could hear it in the Hive- Greene's control over the Infection was slipping the longer she was confined down there. The Walkers already had no interest in attacking the pumper.

If he could keep this up for any longer, Greene would either show her face- or succumb to the gas. Though latter would feel hollow to him, and it always carried the threat that she would return. He'd rather get it over  _now_ . 

The ground cracked in several places, loud enough to momentarily drown out the helicopter's engines and the constant gunfire at the hundreds of Walkers moving there. It made the D-Codes and the soldiers swear under their breaths, though even Alex paled slightly when dozens of Hunters and Leader Hunters burst from the street. And then two Hydras shot out of the asphalt, screeching. Hydras that could attack over a large distance. Alex had to deal with them first.

He had never taken one of them down in direct combat though, the closest he ever got was injuring that one in the Core Hive- but these guys were easily twice the size of the Hydras he's seen before. Didn't mean he was going to shy back. If anything, it only made him want to see whether he could take them even more.

He switched to the Musclemass, raced over to grab one of the (currently empty) supply trucks and simply heaved it over his head, then catapulted himself off the street as high as possible. He threw the entire truck back downwards, smashing three Hunters at once and throwing the others into disarray. At the same moment, he switched back to the Blade and air-dashed towards the Hydra that had sprang up north of the pumper vehicle, and let gravity take a hold of him. His weapon impacted hard into the Hydra's head, tearing a deep wound. The snake reeled back, shrieking. Alex let the thrashing beast fling him upwards so he could shift back to the heavy Hammerfists. He twisted in mid-air, gave off another burst of air and came back down, armored hands held high over his body for maximum momentum. He brought them down with all strength the moment he met the Hydra. And again and again and again. He beat it into the ground, shattered its beak and completely broke whatever supporting structure the beast had. It wasn't dead yet, but badly injured.

It was more or less harmless now, and the shriek of metal on metal demanded his attention anyways. Alex whirled around, eyes narrow at the sight of a cab impacting into the pump with enough force to dangerously dent the metal casing. The vehicle was armored, he knew, but any more of this and it would eventually break open.

He immediately sprinted back towards the center of Times Square, changing back to his Musclemass in the process. The second Hydra roared and lifted another car over its head, then jerked to the front and chucked it at the pump. Alex jumped up in that moment, yanking the projectile out of mid-air and throwing it back with a lot more force within one blink of an eye.

The Hunters tried to assault the pump in that moment. Alex curled his body and flung himself downwards like a javelin, impacting into the floor to force them to back off. He didn't give himself time to recover, though, rather lunged to the front in the next moment to assault one of the Hunters as long they were still off-balance. As he slammed into it, his still-reconstructing body ensnared parts of the beast as well in its attempts to repair itself, consuming the Hunter in the process.

The whole process went on too fast, so when Alex dove at the pack with his Blade trailing behind him, they barely had regained their balance. He gutted two more before they finally realized what was going on and pulled back immediately. One of the Leaders was hit by a car, and Alex just had time to watch how the Supersoldiers went down on the pack as he charged right into the fray again. He had to keep them busy and most of all  _away_ from the pumper. 

Which wasn't as easy as it sounded. Like wolves, the pack simply split up, all of them moving into different directions to distract and separate their foes. Alex growled at them and went for the closest Hunter, bladed arm slicing through air and flesh alike. On short range, he was faster than them anyways, and the D-Codes were actually helpful by boxing the beasts in so they were distracted when he went for the killing blow.

A Leader snarled and surged at him, claws blazing. Alex ducked under a wild swing, then threw a fierce uppercut with his bladed arm, chopping off a good portion of the Hunter's face while at it. The thing reeled back, yowling. He pounced on it with all strength to topple it, then let his Blade whistle downwards from a brutal overhead swing to slice its head clean off.

He heard the other Hydra screech and just jerked his head up, just in time to see an ambulance come flying at the pump. One of the D-Codes instantly abandoned what he was doing and leapt off the ground, colliding with the vehicle in mid-air and managed to throw it off course. It crashed into the street besides the pump, smashing another Hunter.

_The big guy first._ Alex lunged off the ground and grew his Shield as he hit the floor several yards away and just charged the Hydra at full tilt. The weakened asphalt beneath shattered as he tore down the street, closer and closer. At the last dozen steps, he kicked off the broken floor and slammed hard into the snake's head, sending it reeling backwards. Alex air dashed after it, Blade and shield melting into Claws as he grabbed a secure hold of the steel-like beak and let the momentum of its movements carry him over its side so he could clamp down hard on its neck. The Hydra screeched and bucked and Alex leaned over its head, slamming one arm deep into its gullet. The spiky armor protected his limb well enough, and so far at the base of its beak, the snake couldn't really build up strength to bite his arm off. Not that it would have mattered anyways, he was a shape-shifter and would probably have been able to grow his arm back. His free claw dug deep into the Hydra's head to keep it distracted while his other twisted and lost cohesion, slipping deep into the snake's throat and spread out. Now, despite its name, Alex was easily able to grow his Groundspikes wherever he wanted, wasn't just restricted to the ground. Viable areas were roofs and walls.

Or the inside of Hydras.

A cluster of half a dozen story-tall spikes suddenly erupted from the Hydra's lower body in a semi-circle, shredding its soft tissues with little trouble. The snake immediately started thrashing. Alex kept his spikes buried inside it for a little while longer before he pulled them back and leapt off its head to get some distance. Without the hardened chitinous spears, the Hydra's body could no longer support its weight and it collapsed into the street, very much dead.

Didn't mean he had time to take a breather, though. As soon his feet hit the floor, he already threw himself forward, slamming hard into the closest Hunter as his claws dug deep into its torso. Focusing a little, he repeated what he had done to the Hydra with the Hunter, shifting his Biomass to the massive Groundspikes to impale the beast from the inside out.

Dropping the mangled body, Alex instantly rushed towards the next one. A Leader, so he quickly replaced one Claw with his Blade, but didn't slow down or change course at all. He collided with the creature with the speed and force of a car, and his own weight overbalanced it so much it had to step back to keep standing. Alex brought his Blade down and chopped off its leg, sending the thing flailing backwards. Its claws suddenly shot up, nails dragging through his lower torso with enough force to shred his stomach.

He gasped, then grit his teeth against the pain as his foot came down on the thing's wrist to snap it. He wasn't human. Had never been- so  _organs_ weren't high on the list of things he actually  _needed_ . His form blurred with dozens of tendrils, focusing in his arms to turn them back into his Hammerfists. He swung them down  _hard_ , caving in the Hunter's chest and crushing its skull to paste.

Then something hit him from behind, talons digging like needles into him. For a short horrifying moment, he remembered Cross and the parasite, and he was already halfway into jumping into a panic before his brain caught up with him and supplied him with the additional information he needed to identify his attacker as Hunter. Terror melted into a much more familiar anger, and spines started growing from his depths just as his claws came back into action. The Hunter on his back bit down into his shoulder, attempting to sever it, while Alex snarled in reply and started writhing. He just needed to get a good hold on the bastard's head, then he could either wrench it off its shoulders, or at least get the thing loose enough so he could throw the entire beast over his head and into the ground.

“Gotcha, motherfucker!” The weight on his back disappeared with an enraged snarl, and Alex whipped around, confused. One of the Supersoldiers was wrestling with the Hunter that had previously latched onto him. There were still several of them around, so why did that guy grab _this_ one?

The man heaved the Hunter up and slammed it into the floor, killing it with a brutal kick that shattered its skull. And Alex recognized him. It was the guy without the mask. The one that had previously fought against a Leader Hunter and who he helped by killing the beast. Back when he had assumed Tunney's form.

The giant glared at him, and he stared back. A few tense moments later, the guy stepped back, then scoffed. “We're even now”, he growled, dropping the carcass and jumping off to assault another Hunter. Alex just arched an eyebrow. So these men still clung to their own morales, then? Interesting.

He snorted once, then leapt off himself and dropped down on another Leader with his sword-arm below him like an ax. His angle and the force he went at carved its skull in halves, dropping the bastard immediately, and he went for the others even while bullets impacted all around him.

He was halfway through gutting two more Hunters when his entire body went rigid. The pump hissed loudly, but it wasn't enough to drown out the  _scream_ that raced through the Hive Mind.

Every single of the Hunters and Walkers around suddenly aborted whatever they were doing and...dove for cover. There was no other explanation. They  _fled_ . Hurried for higher grounds or vanished into derelict buildings.

And the Hive was  _screaming_ the entire time. Alex groaned and dropped to one knee, his head threatening to split open from the sheer  _agony_ he felt. 

“What's with the germ?” He barely heard the Blackwatch soldiers talk as they approached him, not over the static shriek inside his skull. One of the guys prodded him with the muzzle of his rifle. Alex grit his teeth and tried to glare at him, though his eyes didn't focus. Something was _off_ , warning him of...danger?

Not Blackwatch. No, the normal soldiers had hung back the entire time, had focused on firing on the Hunters while their Supersoldiers and him had tried to keep the pump running.

The ground shook. No, not shook. It felt like it was trying to buck everybody off. Or was that just to him? Alex hissed and forced himself back to his feet, though slightly wobbly. The soldiers backed off a bit, but his attention wasn't on them.

Something was moving beneath their feet. Burrowing to the surface.

Larger than Hydras.

“Greene”, Alex snarled, hands clenching at his sides as his rage overtook and faded out the pain he felt through the Hive Mind. Greene was coming. She had seen and felt her children die at their hands, and was now beyond pissed. A mother whose children had been taken from her. 

She was going to fight them.

The intersection of 7 th Avenue and Boradway simply shattered, dust and rubble were flung outside in a powerful shockwave that easily broke the steel walls Blackwatch had erected around their perimeters.

“Holy shit!” The Blackwatch goon from before yelled. “What the fuck is that?!”

“That's Greene”, Alex realized. “Elizabeth Greene.”

The dust was blown away from the force of her roar, and it made Alex step back involuntarily.

A massive creature rose several stories over Times Square, Greene's monstrous form. A giant bulbous head, easily three stories large itself, sat on an equally long neck coated in writhing flesh. In the middle of this massive head was an opening, with skin stretched taut across a human shape.

Greene, in the middle of her throne.

Alex said the only thing appropriate. “Oh Fuck.”

The throne writhed suddenly, tendrils crawling across its form and centering along its neck-like base.

Greene  _screamed_ and Alex's world turned gray. He had no time to react when an invisible force grabbed him, tore off most of his Biomass and threw him like a ragdoll across Times Square.

He hit the Fastfood store at the side of the area and completely collapsed it.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

 


	24. On Instinct

 

Everything  _hurt_ . Alex wasn't even aware his body could hurt like that. But it was burning. Not like the Bloodtox did, but because it was  _empty_ . His Biomass was gone just like that, and his system demanded sustenance.

He was hungry. Very hungry.

With a snarl, he wrenched himself free from the wreckage he was trapped beneath and barreled right out of the still collapsing building. Judging from the current state of the area, whatever knocked him away had occurred just a minute ago. But Alex still stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the sheer destruction that had occurred in this extremely short period of time. Equipment, vehicles, even  _tanks_ had been thrown away from Greene's monstrous form, windows were shattered while pretty much every last living being in an two-block radius had been torn apart. Alex frowned unhappily when he found the remains of the D-Codes strewn about, as if they had been hit by a flood wave with teeth.

No wonder he had lost that much Biomass at once.

The only crafts left were the helicopters, having obviously been out of reach of the attack, and were now firing at the massive behemoth. A Hunter suddenly lunged from a roof and tackled one of the Blackhawks, smashing its tail off to send it careening downwards. Alex instantly headed to where the beast hit the floor with a pained yowl, pouncing on the weakened Infected to tear it apart and consume it. His body was still hungering for more, but the Hunter's mass satisfied him for now and took the edge away.

Something growled, making him turn around slowly.

Greene.

Her throne had twisted into his direction, the giant bulbous head 'glaring' at him. Then it roared out, followed by a noise that sounded suspiciously like retching, and the massive creature jerked once. Several green orbs burst from its thick flesh, shooting right at Alex. Projectiles were something best to be avoided, so he quickly rushed to the side, eyes fixed on the massive creature at the center of Times Square.

How could he go about this? With those weird orb things, it would be hard getting close enough to deal damage. His arm turned into his Whipfist and he spun around, letting the barbed talon swipe out. He hit the throne's base with no trouble, but his claw simply bounced off, leaving only a little scrape.

Too tough for this then.

Alex grunted and shifted to his Blade and Shield, ducked under another green ball of fire and just charged the massive entity. He slammed into it with enough force to seriously injure Hunters, but this thing barely noticed it, though he did manage to put a large dent on its massive 'neck'.

Then its muscles unraveled and slapped down, nearly crushing him if he hadn't managed to roll to the side. Another giant muscle crashed into the floor, driving him back some more, but by doing that, Alex managed to catch sight of the structure of the throne. The thick 'neck' supporting the head was coated in thick red muscle- but those muscles were actually  _separate_ from the top. They were huge red tentacles, not unlike his own, that were wrapped around a spine-like support beneath the throne itself.

And they immediately curled back around the bony structure-  _before_ the entire thing moved again.

His eyes narrowed in thought. Greene was growling at him, the throne retched again and spat up more of those fiery orbs- and Alex was already moving. He darted back towards the thick tentacles, bladed arm swiping against them with enough force to shear off parts of them- and coerce them to attack him. As the massive tails slammed into the ground, intending to crush him, he paid close attention to the throne itself, even while dodging to the side as fast as he could.

The creature didn't move when more than one tentacle was trying to squish him, and one of them was  _always_ wrapped around the spine. But even with this support, the massive head was always wobbling slightly. 

And Alex understood. The throne- the behemoth- it had developed to protect Greene from the Bloodtox, and was her weapon only as secondary, hastily developed function. Because of that, it hadn't grown in the correct way- its bony spine could not keep the head upright without the help of the tentacles.

When he took them out, he could collapse Greene's throne and rip her out of it. She was connected to the beast- its death would hopefully shock her enough so he would be able to consume her.

It was worth a shot.

Greene hissed, him being too close to her meant she couldn't fire her projectiles at him- but for that she had her Hunters.

Three of them lunged at Alex, claws blazing. He instantly rolled to the side and dashed away, heading towards the flat roof in front of the towering  _Millennium_ Hotel.

The fiery orb hit him completely unexpected. He hadn't even heard it, so he found himself slightly confused when he got knocked off his feet and crashed face-first into one of the billboards. The pain in itself was...neglectable. Barely took off any mass, but the force of the impact was surprising. And the Hunters used this moment to jump him. All three of them, talons tearing through his flesh.

Alex snarled and writhed on that roof, managing to get his arm free and stab it into the concrete beneath to plant his Groundspikes. They broke from beneath him the next second, spearing the three beasts with no trouble. This time, however, Alex did not pull them back. He grit his teeth and focused on his spikes, shifting them into tentacles and flooding them with active viral agents- effectively changing his Groundspikes into feeding tendrils. The relief he felt when he leeched all three Hunters worth of Biomass was staggering.  The hunger was gone for now, though he knew he couldn't keep this up like this.

Greene was shrieking enraged, drawing his attention. But for once she wasn't attacking him- she had her focus on the two remaining Blackhawks that were spraying her with missiles. Two of her tentacles slammed against the floor enraged, and the massive behemoth jerked, spitting more balls of fire at the choppers. They impacted into the aircraft and completely devastated them- the fire igniting the gas easily and blowing both of them up.

It brought a grim smirk of satisfaction to Alex's face. Seems that whatever stopped and injured him, utterly destroyed whatever Blackwatch managed to conjure up. But that didn't stop them. More choppers descended from the sky, and half a dozen tanks and three squads of Marines and Blackwatch approached Times Square.

Greene's roar shook the entire area, and Alex saw how the Infected fled while the throne's body started glowing for a split moment before the world seemed to be drowned out in gray colors.

Then Greene  _screamed_ , and a massive red shockwave broke from her throne and flooded through the streets, dismembering whatever it hit. Blackwatch was still far away enough to be spared from the worst of it, but it was clear to Alex that this was not something to ignore.

This was the same attack that had injured  _him_ greatly.

A  _Devastator_ , in a way. 

Alex growled and ducked, then leapt across the street and headed up the facade of the News office there while also outrunning the various Hunters that chased after him. He needed a lot of height and speed for this to work. His muscles coiled the higher he climbed and as soon he hit the edge, he just kept going, screwing his body several hundred feet into the air.

Alex twisted around, turning his attention back downwards. Greene was only a tiny speck from this height, unable to reach him up here. He snorted, angling his body at the apex of his jump to hang there like a diver.

He gave off a powerful burst of air, shooting himself downwards while his Armor started crawling over his body to reduce the wind resistance. Alex threw up his arms, pressed them tightly against his face, while he locked his muscles together to prevent moving too soon. He needed all the momentum he could get.

His Biomass began tightening the closer he shot towards the street. His whole body started trembling beneath his shell, muscles and tissue snapping under the extreme pressure. If he had eyes, they would have probably burst from the strain, his heart felt like it already did. Everything  _hurt_ , but it was the only way.

Greene's roar sounded distant, muted like through water even though she was just below him. But it was too late for her to try to stop him, even the balls of fire simply glanced off his shell.

Alex slammed into the ground, caving in the area and shattered most of his own body, letting go of the pressure he had kept on his inside in the process. His Biomass speared the ground and erupted all around him in story-tall black spikes. Greene shrieked in agony when the spires tore at her throne and utterly destroyed the tentacles that held it up. The ground gave in beneath them, dropping both into a crater that ended halfway to the subway.

Nothing moved for a moment, until Alex pulled back his spikes with a pained groan, starting to reconstruct his own body that had been utterly ruined by his own Bulletdive and Devastator. Greene's throne collapsed to the bottom of the crater besides him.

Alex instantly pulled out his Blade, re-directing his regeneration to work on his bones and limbs first. By the time he took a swing at the massive creature, he was mostly fixed again.

The beast, however, had reacted too. Within the blink of an eye, it had shifted its entire surface around, dragged Greene inside its core and presented him with its solid surface. Alex's Blade hit the thing and dug in deep, but not deep enough to reach her. But he had taken a chunk out of it.

He could reach her like that. Peel off layer for layer, and drag her out into the light.

The Claws would work better for this, being faster and just as sharp. He ripped into the hardened material, talons sinking in and Greene gasped in shock.

_Good_

Alex pulled back slightly, then dove at the massive creature again, claws blazing as he tore into the tough flesh, ripping away piece by piece. Something roared and a pack of Hunters lunged at him. He ducked to the side, letting them slam into the throne and damage it further while he shifted into his Armor and pulled out his Blade. He swiped wide arcs, slicing into the beasts and the behemoth around him and causing deep gashes wherever he hit. He actually managed to dispatch of one Hunter, when he felt the ground shake again.

A Hydra suddenly burst from the bottom of the crater, barbed tongue lashing out. The strength of the impact threw Alex off balance, giving the Hunters the opportunity to crowd on him and force him away from their mother. He snarled and whirled around, bladed arm ripping into them to get them to back off. Another two Hydras lifted themselves from the soil and...wrapped themselves around Greene's throne.

Then they pulled and dragged the massive entity under.

Alex's eyes widened and he instantly abandoned the Hunters, switching to the Musclemass. He slammed hard into the behemoth, fingers digging deep into its flesh as his feet drove themselves into the concrete. “Oh Hell no!” He bit out, “Stay here!” The Hydras struggled and slowed down in their attempt to bring Greene to safety. Alex hissed and pulled back, tugging the entire thing back to the surface.

The beast growled again, and the Hunters crushed into him to loosen his hold on their mother, while two more Hydras emerged and snatched the throne. Alex watched helplessly how they pulled her out of sight, throwing up rubble to prevent anything from following.

_Fuck!_

Enraged, he whipped around and threw a violent uppercut into one of the Hunters, utterly decimating its skull. Fucking Greene! He had been so close-  _so close_ \- and she managed to escape! Now he had to start all over-

His eyes widened.

The pumper.

It was still there.

He instantly shook off the beasts clinging to him and dashed over to where the vehicle still stood. Despite the shockwave Devastator Greene had used, the thing was still there and, more importantly, still operational, if obviously shut down at the moment. The tanks around had been arranged in a loose circle around the pumper, with their turrets aimed at the streets on either side and the soldiers between them. This position had protected them against the blow, even though the side of the tanks facing the Times Square were damaged.

He ignored them mostly, vaulting across the closest vehicle to get into the circle, while several of his pursuers were picked off by the depleted uranium shells. The soldiers themselves gave of a shout of warning when he slammed into the floor between them, but he ignored them too and went for the pump. It was mostly intact, though parts of its tubes were crooked. He could probably repair it, but there was no time.

He grit his teeth, glanced back at a bunch of Walkers that surged towards them- and switched to the Whipfist to take them out in a single swing. More were coming, clearly ignoring the humans and heading for  _him_ . He could hear it in the Hive Mind- Greene was calling for her children to discipline their wayward brother, bend him back to the Hive's will.

_Screw you._

He inclined his head and turned his attention to the soldiers that were gathering between him and the pumper. The Marines were closer and obviously a lot more twitchy, but less dangerous than Blackwatch. He more or less casually pointed his Whipfist at the closest Marine, grinding out a simple “You”. The men jerked back, rifles snapping up and trigger fingers tightening. Alex cocked his head, frowning behind his face plate. Any sort of movement might set them off, and he had enough on his plate as it was. “The main feeding tube is bent”, he said instead, and the men stared at him like they didn't understand. Alex's frown deepened. It was probably visible on his shell. Maybe.

“On the pumper vehicle”, he added, hoping they'd get the message. “There is no flow possible, and the emergency shutdown killed the deploy of the Bloodtox.”

That, at least, got him several surprised/puzzled/attentive grunts. He waved his talon vaguely into the direction of the machine, and most of the Marines didn't jump so much anymore. “You have to fix it.”  _Greene would escape otherwise._ “It's your order to drag that bitch back to the surface, correct?”

Something roared besides him, and he whirled around, staring at a Hunter that had managed to get into the circle of tanks. Alex scoffed and shifted to his Musclemass. “Fix it!” He barked, then already charged the Infected. He met it just above the pumper, and his greater mass and speed knocked it right out of the air and safely away from the vehicle. He effortlessly crushed both its arms, then hoisted the thrashing beast up and just flung it back across the circle of tanks and out of the area.

The pumper started huffing behind his back, and he took a moment to glance back to witness it re-starting its work. And the Hive Mind screamed again.

_Good_ . Three of the Marines and four Blackwatch were scrambling across the pumper, frantically replacing broken parts. Alex whistled sharply, the sound twisted into a near-shriek through his Armor, drawing their attention. “Keep this up!”, he just barked, “Make sure that piece of shit does not hide again!”

Then he was already back in the brawl. He grabbed a demolished truck off the street and flung it at a group of Walkers, utterly crushing them while also drawing the attention of the Hunters nearby. One pounced on him. He simply braced himself, caught it out of mid-air, and flung it around to slam it into the ground head-first. The thing screeched and started thrashing, though Alex brutally cut it off by stomping down on its neck hard enough to snap its head off.

Then Greene emerged again, roaring enraged. She had new tentacles holding her throne upright, but the construct itself was still damaged, maybe even more since the wounds he had torn were strongest affected by the Bloodtox in the ground.

Good, it meant that there was still enough of the gas below.

The Apaches swooped down, spraying the area with missiles. Greene roared and flinched back, then the massive head started writhing. The ground was trembling, and the giant entity turned to face the helicopters. It retched once, and one of its tentacles started undulating.

It just  _spat_ a stream of rocks like a rail gun, destroying more than half of the choppers and devastating every building in reach.

_Holy shit!_

Okay, so he knew what vehicles were useless. He  _could_ probably take a tank, but then he would be immobile and slow. And he had to avoid these projectiles at  _all_ costs.

So he pulled back his shell and burst to the side, heading back to the towering billboards to the east of Greene's position too fast for her to follow. He had to take out the tentacles, and he had to tear her throne to shreds as soon it was down. He figured that what she had done before- hiding back beneath- she would do again. If only for another breather.

He had to stop her before she could do so.

Alex hit the 43 rd Street right between several Walkers, killing them from the force of his impact. He reached out and grabbed whichever one he ever managed to get his hands on to consume them.

The only thing that had been  _effective_ against Greene had been a Devastator. He already had used one, and one before that against the Infected. He didn't know how many he could use before he wrecked his body more than he could survive.

But he did know that he needed Biomass to execute these attacks, and heal himself. So if he could just refuel between every assault on Greene, he would easily outlast her.

And that was all he needed.

He swallowed the last three Infected closest to him, grabbed a cab and leapt off the ground to get back topside. He just needed to distract her to get close enough to actually get to fire off that Devastator. Good thing the Times Square was absolutely  _stuffed_ with cabs.

He chucked his projectile at Greene's monstrous form and instantly changed his own trajectory with an air dash, moving to the side and away from her as she breathed more fiery orbs at him.

He dove behind the US Army recruitment center to wait for the projectiles to finish impacting into his cover, then was instantly moving again. His body was running incredibly hot, the virus beneath churning frantically to increase his speed. He would need anything he could get- Greene was weakened from the Bloodtox, but up here there was no gas. He had to keep the pressure up to stop her from regenerating.

Well...this was something he was just really good at.

He snatched another car and chucked it at the behemoth, rushed to the street at the side and waited for those orbs to stop. Then he was moving again, hoisting up another car and running back to the main street.

A Hunter slammed into him at full speed, sending him tumbling to the floor. The car crashed into the street, but Alex was already back to his feet, diving at the beast. The Hunter whirled around, its talons ripping into his chest, but it barely slowed him down. One palm slammed against its chest, caving it in, while the other crushed into its lower jaw to break it. The Hunter wheezed and reeled back, and Alex swiftly brought his knee up to snap its neck and send it crashing into the street. The beast started thrashing in pain, so he simply stomped down on its skull to completely shatter it and end its miserable existence.

Greene shrieked, the behemoth snarled and spat another dozen fiery orbs. Alex sprinted to the side, grabbing his forgotten car and flung it at the beast with all strength before diving for cover. But those projectiles did interest him.

He wondered how Greene produced them- and whether he would be able to replicate them once he had consumed her. There was probably methane in the mixture, along with copper- both easily accessible inside a city. Just it presented itself with another problem: If Greene had access to the gas line, then explosives might end up causing massive destruction to the island.

...Unless of course Blackwatch had cut off the gas main.

But he did not need this doubtful possibility of a weapon. It would cause destruction on the island in an uncontrollable scale if it would work at all. Alex could not allow the island to be eradicated. He had fought so hard for it, he was not going to let Blackwatch or the Infected take it. Manhattan was  _his_ .

He yanked a derelict bus up and chucked it with full strength at the throne, the vehicle slamming into it with enough force so it jerked from the impact. Greene was distracted for a split second. A split second Alex changed his course again, charging right at the massive entity. Greene's tentacles slammed down, he avoided them, and crushed both palms into the floor again, groaning as he forced another Devastator from his system. Dozens of giant spikes, all of them half as tall as Greene's throne, erupted from the ruined streets and speared into the soft flesh to shred it. The behemoth screeched in pain when the much more destructive Blacklight Biomass ripped into it, then suddenly yanked out and dropped it like trash to the street. This time Alex didn't bother with neatness. His Musclemass melted into his Hammerfists the very second the thing collapsed and he just started to mindlessly smash them over and over and over again into the carapace.

Parts of it shattered like melons, flesh and tissues and blood flooding to the street while the entire thing shuddered. Alex's claws broke through the surface of his massive fists, while knobby growths lengthened into wicked spikes. The spongy flesh beneath the tough outer shell offered only little resistance to him as he tore and ripped at the matter to dig deeper.

_Just a little more..._

A pack of Hunters pounced on him, drove him away from their mother and pinned him to the street as they shredded his body. Greene squirmed and retreated into the floor again, though he had no chance to stop her. Alex snarled and kicked his legs out, managing to get  _one_ Hunter off him- but the empty spot was already taken by another. And then one of them wrenched out his leg too and threw it away like trash. He  _would_ have screamed. Probably. If he still had a throat.

_Screw this_

His body convulsed and tendrils lashed across his surface, clinging ever so oft to one of the talons tearing away bits of him. This was going to hurt, but if he didn't get out of here, they would continue until there was nothing left of him. So be it.

His Biomass screamed in agony when he wrenched another Devastator from it. Tendrils exploded into every direction, impaling and killing whatever they hit. The Hunters were no exception.

Alex groaned when the spears pulled back into him and he rolled over to his hands and knees. Oh wait- make that  _one_ knee and no hands. One arm had been torn off at the elbow, the other was gone from the socket. Right.

It hurt like a bitch, and he dropped his forehead to the bloodied ground, panting through grit teeth as he forced his Biomass to the damaged areas and fix what needed fixing. At the same time, his tendrils surged out from him, snaking over the ground in a quickly spreading net as they grabbed whatever piece of flesh they could reach. He found his arm and his leg amongst all the Hunter bits and quickly consumed them to regrow them at the correct position.

Then he climbed to his feet, listening to the Hive Mind and Greene's voice. She was in the ground again, but the gas was eating away at her. He could hear her, could feel her pain. As could the entire Hive. They were  _desperate_ to protect their mother.

But Greene was not defenseless.

Alex had tasted her strength already, and despite her being weakened from the Bloodtox, she was still a massive threat. He was certain she did not need the Infected's protection. But they made for a good distraction to prevent him assaulting her directly. He snarled and whirled around, lunging at the Walkers that were rushing towards him. He had lost Biomass and felt like shit- and these bastards were  _perfectly_ suited for snacks. 

He seized the closest one, tore it apart lengthwise, and consumed it, was already lunging at the next one even before his Biomass settled again. The Walkers screeched at him and suddenly broke away, running away from him. But not to escape  _him_ .

The ground was trembling.

Alex immediately stopped his pursue and sprinted across the street, the thudding of his feet being drowned out by the shattering of concrete when Greene returned to the surface. He sensed the shockwave building up, so he rocketed off the ground and headed up the facade of the Paramount, while the street below him was torn apart with an enraged howl. He could feel the air shriek past him, and debris bit into his legs and back when he hadn't been fast enough. But judging from the hollow crash the storefronts all around him made, he got the best deal. If Greene fired more of those attacks, then the possibility was that she would bring down the entire Times Square in a cascade of broken buildings. She would be able to hide there and regenerate.

Which was why he had to kill her  _now_ . 

Alex coiled his legs and sprang off the facade, catapulting himself right over her throne. His Blade was formed in an instant, and his remaining muscles buffed up dramatically under the effect of his Musclemass. He needed all the strength and lethality he could muster. He was low on Biomass, so another Devastator was out of the question for the moment. But he wouldn't need to take out the tentacles again.

He snarled once, then gave off a powerful burst of air to drive himself back down, Blade first like an ax. Greene snarled and several green orbs impacted into him, but he was going too fast for them to throw him off course.

Alex slammed into the top of Greene's throne with the force of a warhead. The beast barely buckled under the force of the impact, but its pained screech still wailed loudly in his ears as he drove his Blade deep into its flesh.

“ _Why?”_ Greene's voice keened through the Hive Mind. _“Why do you hurt your family?”_

“ _Because you are not family”_ , Alex replied with a vicious twist of his bladed arm. _“Because you tried to take mine away from me. And this is why I will kill you!”_

He yanked his weapon back out and dropped to one knee, both hands enhanced with the Musclemass to pry open the injury he had torn. Blood flooded over his fingers, giving him pause. He stared at it, watched it flow from the wound and stain his hands.

And his hunger roared inside his head.

Blacklight was stronger than Redlight, and he didn't need to  _kill_ his prey in order to consume it. So Alex sank both arms deep into the behemoth, and tendrils unfurled from his shoulders. They stabbed the creature's inside easily, tethering him to Greene's throne.

And the thing started  _screaming_ . He felt the flesh beneath shift, desperately trying to push him out, to remove him- but he only held on tight. More tendrils swarmed from the main ones and started digging into the behemoth's shape. Instantly, he realized that he could not consume the beast like he did other organisms- first of it was way too large, even for him; and secondly, its entire structure kept shifting beneath him, squirming out of the way of the Blacklight matter.

But he had latched on and he wasn't going to let go, not before he had his share.

He dug deeper and deeper, dissolved the throne bit by bit, carved out and devoured whatever he managed to grab. Greene was screaming in agony, as was the Hive Mind. The Infected were panicking at the base of the behemoth, struggling to get up, but the thing itself offered protection enough for Alex to continue feeding. It never hurt being thorough, though. Alex shifted his hold a little and (under great effort) stopped his consumption, having already chewed a hole into the thing that was big enough to fit a car, and shoved his now plentiful Biomass through the flesh. The throne squirmed and screeched in agony, that quickly mingled with the terrified shriek from the Hive Mind when Alex shifted his own mass and let several clusters of Groundspikes tear out of the behemoth to shred the Infected gathering at its base.

At the same time, he took out its tentacles, leaving the massive head with no support at all.

As soon he pulled back his spikes, the thing collapsed into the street. Alex immediately jumped to the ground, shifted back to his claws and just violently tore into it. It was nearly dead already, but still stubbornly clung to life.

It wasn't going to be any longer.

Alex ground his teeth together and coiled the Biomass on his inside, pulling it together in dense layers. Not too much though, not enough to completely wreck his body, but still enough to cause some real damage. To himself and whatever he was targeting.

He slammed both palms flat into the hide of Greene's throne, unleashing the force he had build on his inside.

Tentacles slammed into the beast with the force of a cannon blast and tore a gaping hole into the creature. The beast thrashed and writhed, screeching in agony. Alex pulled his tentacles back with a hiss. But the throne was still alive. Whatever it was made of, it was extremely sturdy.

He growled, going back to tear at it with his Claws, when the massive entity convulsed. Violent tremors ran through its frame, and it started choking. Alex stepped back, eyes trained on its surface to make sure none of those fire orbs took him by surprise.

None emerged.

But the flesh still ripped open, and blood ran over the ruined street in waves. Alex's eyes widened when the entire construct shuddered once and retched again- and this time a deceptively small figure was spat out in a spray of red.

She hit the street with a gasp and in a crouch on weak, shaking legs.

Alex froze, his brain still trying to catch up with what he was  _seeing_ . Elizabeth Greene. Right there. Right here. Right in front of him.  _Weakened_ .  _Defenseless_ .

She had taken Dana. He would take her.

His fists curled and his lips peeled away from his teeth as a low growl worked itself out of his throat. “Greene.”

The woman's head snapped up, eyes widening by a fraction as recognition crossed her features.

Alex gave her no chance to move. He lunged at her, talons closing around her throat as he yanked her up and slammed her into the ground like a ragdoll. Greene gasped from the impact, but her expression was still mostly blank. The virus had fried her brain, someone had said. There was no fear on her face itself, but he could see the naked panic in her eyes when he dropped his weight on her body, pinning her beneath him.

Then his claws came down, over and over and over again. He tore at her body, shredded her vital organs and shattered her spine and bones. Blood sprayed, connected with his body- and tendrils surged out of his skin to grab her.

Greene had tried to resist, clawed at him and his tendrils, tried to break free- but the combination of Bloodtox and the loss of her armor had weakened her so much, Alex found her easy prey.

An high-pitched screech howled through the Hive Mind, deafening him for a moment as vivid images flashed through his brain.

Greene's memories.

Alex saw a life- a young girl moving to Hope with her father, finding friends, lovers. A normal life, like he had seen so many others. But then the images slipped. Became less intense. Less memory, more nightmare. A nightmare that just never ended, and quickly numbed every last notion. Alex gasped involuntarily, curling in on himself as his body crawled with countless tentacles.

But he finally understood.

Greene and the virus- they were two entities entirely. The girl from Hope, she had been trapped inside the virus. Unable to break free. Unable to stop herself. Just like all those Infected he had consumed already. Greene was no different to them, with the sole exception that Redlight did not kill her. She was unlucky enough to survive- and the virus used her body as a puppet, used her body to promote its own growth. Now it didn't kill its hosts anymore, instead it twisted them- and it dug deep.

It was entirely too much like a sapient,  _thinking_ entity. Much less virus and a lot more  _living being_ . A primitive counterpart to himself.

And Redlight quickly learnt how to survive. It adapted, it grew smarter- and it continued to adapt. The child- Greene's child- it was a pure product of the virus. No father needed. Redlight wanted to spread, wanted to grow- and during this it created the child, an attempt at creating something that resembled the mother, but was pure virus. Much like himself.

The child that the humans had taken. Alex felt the rage boil inside. Not  _his_ rage, but Greene's. Redlight's. The child was taken from them, and all contact was lost. And Redlight was trapped within Greene, as was Greene within the virus. Neither could break free. Neither could defend themselves when the humans took them, moved them around and hurt them again and again.

Until Penn Station.

When Blacklight woke, so did Redlight. Another child born from the virus, but not Greene. And the virus waited until the child returned. With questions.

But the child was confused,  _angry_ . The wayward son. The prodigy, in a way. And the child would give Redlight what it needed, so Redlight prepared the Hive. To welcome the child, to take it into the family.

Instead, it denied them, it fought them,  _hurt_ its siblings. And Redlight could not understand it. Why was it like that? Why didn't it come home, why didn't it use its powers to unite all of them? The prey, the humans- they hurt them. Hurt their own, even. It was chaos. The Hive would have brought order through union. But the child could not see it. Instead, the child fought the order itself.

Alex panted, images slowly receding. Order. Unity. What Redlight wanted was  _peace_ in a sense. But peace he did not want. Unity he shattered. Order he rejected.

The Hive was broken.

He slowly climbed to his feet, witnessing the Infected frozen in the streets. The world was silent for a moment.

And something  _shrieked_ . Greene was dead. The mother was gone. No order. No direction to go to anymore. No-one to lead them. Chaos surged over the Hive, throwing the Infected into disarray. He could sense it. Could see how they lost control. From an highly efficient army to a shambling mass of mindless drones in an  _instant_ . The voices all screamed together, and whatever had been around  _fled_ the place their mother fell. 

He had done it.

Alex just stood there, mind blank.

He had done it.

Greene was dead. The Infection was broken.

He  _had stopped_ it. 

A grin appeared on his face, and laughter wrenched itself out of his throat. He had done it. He had stopped the Infection, had stopped Greene, had taken her away from Blackwatch. He had  _saved Dana_ . 

“Fuck!” His body froze and he whipped around, eyes narrowing on the military. They had crawled closer, had witnessed him consume Greene. And while the Marines seemed delighted, Blackwatch looked _terrified_. 

“ZEUS has just killed MOTHER”, someone said with no small amount of _panic_. “I repeat, Red Crown. ZEUS has just killed MOTHER.”

“ _All units pull back”_ , was the order. _“Code Black. I repeat. Code Black.”_

Blackwatch followed the command. Tanks pulled away from Times Square, and the men on the ground retreated. Nobody was interested in him. Too terrified of him. Too scared to lose more men.

Alex had won. He should enjoy his victory- but only more questions arose. He had recognized the man who had taken Greene's child. Randall.

The General who led the invasion.

And he felt his rage mount again. The man- the man who had started it all. And there were more questions left. Who had released Blacklight, which woke Greene? Who was to blame for the outbreak that killed more than eighty percent of the city? Who was the one he could punish for this?

Only one name came to mind: McMullen. The one who led Gentek. Who had Blacklight created. He would know. He would know who was to blame for all of this. Alex's lips peeled away from his teeth. He was going to find McMullen. He was going to kill Randall. And he was going to find whoever was behind all of this.

And make all of them pay.

 


	25. Shock

 

Greene was dead. The Infection had lost its leader. Where they have been an highly efficient army before, the Infected were now just lost children, stumbling through the dark. He had watched them all over the Red Zones. While they still attacked whoever was not infected, their attempts were a lot less coordinated. Like comparing Navy SEALS with mall cops.

The only ones still executing some sort of leadership were the Leader Hunters, but without anybody to give directions, they were helpless themselves. Still powerful and extremely dangerous- but their potential was wasted. They just guarded the Hives, didn't wander off and assaulted the military as they've done before. The entire Infection had been crippled in a single moment, and the whole night Alex had watched them lose what little order they had left after her death.

He had returned to Dana. Once. In the dead of the night. He had beaten Greene, and after Blackwatch had left the Times Square, he all but rushed back to the morgue. Maybe a part of him had expected her to wake up as soon the Runner was gone. Happened all the time in fiction.

But real life was different to fiction. Dana was still out. Ragland had been sleeping soundly. Alex hadn't woken him. What for, anyways? The doctor wouldn't be able to wake her either.

Instead, he had brushed his fingers gently over Dana's face. Had watched her because he couldn't do anything else. Not that he could have, but even with his powers he was unable to get her out of whatever she was trapped in. And when he looked at her face, he felt something twist inside. He wasn't Alex Mercer. Never had been. Dana wasn't his sister. He now knew the truth, but she did not. Telling her the truth would break her.

He shouldn't be here. Couldn't be here, not with Blackwatch still trying to find him. And there was still so much left to do. He had to get McMullen, Randall, Karen. All of those that had a hand in creating Blacklight, creating  _him_ . And he had to find whoever had unleashed him on all those people in Penn Station, killing all of them and waking Greene from the vegetative state she had been in for forty years. 

He hadn't stayed after finishing planning, but he left a note for Ragland behind to tell him that Greene was dead and the Infection now without leadership.

Alex had gone back into the city, just starting to tear into the Infected, destroyed packs of them and killed whatever Hunters he found. He took down Hives along Eastside, freeing the city bit by bit. The mindless slaughter freed his thoughts and helped him focus on what to do next.

Somewhen over the course of the night, he figured he'd start looking for McMullen. He knew that he was hiding, though he didn't know  _where_ . He paused for real for the first time since killing Greene, when he found himself at the top of the Empire State Building. What could he do now? He could probably start attacking Blackwatch at random, but the main problem was that trying to find McMullen by luck would quickly become obvious- and then Randall would move the man, maybe out of his reach. 

He couldn't risk it. So he had to hang back and figure out how to get to him.

Hm...

Alex's eyes narrowed in thought. What...what if he let McMullen come to him?

_I want it on a slab. I need to know what makes it tick._

McMullen was fascinated with him. With Blacklight. If he had a chance to examine him, then he would be close by. Which meant, Alex had to... _persuade_ Blackwatch to take him to the doctor.

He crouched down besides the antenna, brows pulled down over his eyes. They would have scanners, so walking in with a disguise would be hard to downright impossible. But maybe he wouldn't need a disguise?

He thought for a moment, then picked his phone from his pocket, hitting re-dial. His contact was quick to reply.

“ _Mercer. You killed Greene. Congratulations.”_

“She's not the last”, Alex replied. “Randall is still left, and McMullen.” His eyes narrowed. “I want McMullen first.”

“ _I figured as much”_ , the contact replied. _“But McMullen's gone to ground. You've come too close too many times.”_

“I know”, Alex scoffed.

There was a curious sound from the other end. _“You probably already had an idea about how to go about this. Humor me.”_

“McMullen's too obsessed with me. He won't let the chance to learn about Blacklight go to waste. If I can make him think he has won, if I have Blackwatch take me to him, I can take him.”

“ _Well, looks like you are not as dumb as Blackwatch thinks you are.”_ He scoffed at that, but let the man continue. _“Your job is to play possum. But Blackwatch is not going to be fooled easily. They know that you are tougher than anything they have fought until now. You have to be a little...convincing.”_

Alex cocked his head, staring at the sky. Light was filtering through the dense clouds. Just a little, but enough to indicate that another day had begun. “Convincing- in how far?”

“ _The Bloodtox factory”_ , the contact explained. _“I know you're growing immune to the gas. You know it too. Blackwatch doesn't. And that is your advantage.”_ Alex could almost _hear_ the smirk on the other end. _“Attack the place head-on. Destroy as much of the facility as you want to, but you'll have to roll over at some point, make them think they have you. When they believe they're in control, they'll take you to McMullen.”_

A solid plan, and lined up perfectly with what he had decided to do. But... “How do you know all of this?” He demanded to know. Some things just did not add up. How could this guy be that knowledgeable about what was going on, when even commanders of Blackwatch had no clue about this? How could this guy be aware of  _him_ , of his true nature- when to Blackwatch he was only a Runner? 

“ _It doesn't matter. You better hurry though. Shit's about to hit the fan and I want to be out of the spray zone if possible. I'll contact you.”_ The line went dead, and when Alex tried to re-dial, he only got a robotic voice and the message that the participant was not available. With a snort, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and got up, staring north. The Bloodtox facility, then.

* * *

 

Dense red clouds hung over the gas station. It hadn't been that lot the last time he had been here, and that wasn't even twenty hours ago. Why would Blackwatch reinforce the structure so much? Was it their last resort? Where they attempting to eradicate the plague with all they had?

Was it a trap from his contact? Alex frowned, ducking behind an air conditioner. It was possible it was designed to take him down. After all, whoever had sent him here already threw him into dangerous situations: D-Codes, Bloodtox, near-impossible infiltrations. On the other hand, the guy also helped him with taking down Greene and weakening the Infection. Plus, despite him knowing about Dana, the rest of Blackwatch  _did not_ , so the guy must have been very interested in keeping this partnership running. And the dangerous situations? Alex was able to survive them, and that guy seemed to be aware of it.

And anyways, if this plan would work, he'd be getting to McMullen. And McMullen was going to tell him everything he wanted to know. It was ideal. Just a little risky, but he knew he had very good chances. And if everything failed he would still be able to get out and try it another way.

_Destroy as much of the facility as you want to._

Sounded easier said than done. Even if his skin was crawling a lot less when under the influence of Bloodtox, it was still unpleasant. And more even, he counted at least four tanks, several helicopters, two dozen men and eight D-Codes all over the facility. Viral scanners had been installed along several active Bloodtox pumps that covered the area, while the Supersoldiers covered the areas where the gas was thinnest, like on the roofs around them. Several normal soldiers joined them there, armed with missile launchers. Blackwatch had dug in and were not going to let anything get past them.

Hm...

Alex turned and glanced upwards, watching the Apaches. They were the biggest threat to him, though he could probably grab one of them, rain as much havoc as possible until he would be forced to continue on foot. Would work, and the Bloodtox wasn't too heat stable. Enough fire could break it down into its basic components, and burning wreckages were both- an ideal cover and perfectly suited projectile too.

So he shot to the side, arms writhing to change into the Musclemass. He rushed to the nearest air conditioner and yanked it out, then whirled around and threw it with full force at the closest D-Code. Chaos erupted in a series of swears and alarmed shouts.

He didn't wait around. He could take one or two D-Codes, but when all of them decided to jump at his head he might end up getting his ass handed to him- and he wasn't going to make it  _that_ easy for them. If he went down, it was on his own accords.

One of the Apaches swopped in, spraying the ground with bullets in an attempt to hit him. Alex kicked off the roof in an instant and rocketed straight up, one arm twisting into his Whipfist in the process. The barbed talon shot out and slammed hard into the Apache and he kept going upwards, still tethered to the aircraft. Then however, his own weight and momentum yanked the helicopter around, ripped it out of the stable flight it had been in and sent it careening towards the roof. He let go of it in an instant and snapped his body parallel to the ground, gliding away as the chopper exploded upon making contact with the surface.

He frowned deeply, glancing back at the chaos as he changed his trajectory roughly and headed at a ninety-degree angle away from the inferno. Looks like he underestimated his own weight and the subsequent kinetic energy he had when moving- both of it together had completely overbalanced the Apache and crashed it.

That...he frowned. He wasn't too sure what to make of it. On one hand, it made getting air-bound vehicles a little tricky, but on the other, he now had another way to pick these bastards out of the air. He hit a roof and instantly sprang off again, avoiding the lunge of one D-Code easily. He headed back upwards, targeting another Apache. This one tried to avoid by rolling to the side, so Alex gave off a powerful burst of air and shot himself across the sky, hitting the helicopter's nose hard. Again, his force spun the chopper around, but as he hadn't turned it over, it managed to stay airborne, even if it was a little dented.

He easily swung himself to the side of it and yanked the door out. The men inside were swearing, and one shot him, but he paid it no attention as he grabbed the black-clad soldier and just threw him out of the chopper like trash. The pilot he crushed like a melon, then he took control of the aircraft.

“ _Strike Team inbound! Take this fucker down!”_ The Radio screeched. Alex snorted and pulled the Apache up, effortlessly targeting the nearest chopper and simply fired off a single Hellfire missile. The guided projectile hit the target dead-on and blew it up, even as he swung around and aimed at the next and shot it out of the sky. The proximity alarm started blaring, so Alex immediately shoved the stick down, making the Apache lurch to the front. He couldn't outrun the missile, he knew, but he didn't _need_ to. He simply yanked the controls to the side and the helicopter rolled in mid-air, briefly losing its uplift and dropping right out of the missile's target.

With ease, Alex brought the chopper back under control and immediately changed his course. Dropping lower towards the street and racing towards the facility. One of the tanks aimed its cannon. He squeezed the trigger and bathed the entire area in fire, blowing up the armored vehicle and one of the Bloodtox pumps. The shockwave of the explosions tore apart the dense red clouds there, and Alex pulled the aircraft back upwards. He heard the metallic clangs as the sentry turrets on either corner of the facility hit him. But it was only superficial damage, nothing too serious.

He shot straight up, well out of the reach of the turrets or missile launchers, forcing the chopper to climb as high as its systems allowed it to. The machine groaned, but it still obeyed his will. Alex checked the radar. Three of the others were on his tail, chasing after him and the proximity alert was screeching  _again_ , so there was at least one missile inbound.

“Let's see what you can do”, he muttered and twisted the control stick. The Apache tipped over backwards, standing upside-down for a brief moment until its momentum carried it back into the correct position with a hollow crack of metal snapping. Alex paid it no real attention, instead picked off the three choppers he had just managed to get behind.

“ _Holy Fuck!”_ His radio squealed. _“Did you see that shit?!”_

“ _All I saw was ZEUS just destroying three teams that were supposed to take him the fuck down!”_

Alex chuckled darkly and swooped back down, targeting a few men on a roof near the facility. He sprayed the area with high density bullets to scatter or kill them, then rolled to the side to avoid another Javelin roaring at him. The missile veered off course and luckily hit one of the other Bloodtox pumps, destroying it.

Something cracked again, and several alerts started to blare. Alex frowned darkly as the chopper started to move more sluggish. Military-issued aircraft were better maintained than civilians, but were also under more stress. And his weight coupled with the brutal and rough handling had been too much for the machine. Raw forces were tearing it apart bit by bit.

He scoffed. So be it. He brought the nose down and headed straight for the compound, forcing the machine to go as fast as it could. He twisted and kicked the pilot's door out, then immediately leapt out of the aircraft. He hit another roof, right in front of several Blackwatch goons, just in time for his Apache to crash into the carpool of the facility, blowing all of the vehicles and one of the filters sky-high in a giant ball of fire.

“Fuck!”

Alex didn't let the men collect themselves. He pushed to the front, claws blazing as he tore through them like a living chainsaw. Blood sprayed, organs and tissues splattered to the ground as one body after the other was reduced to bits.

A massive shadow suddenly slammed into him and sent him flailing across the roof, though he did manage to roll in mid-air and get his feet beneath his body, whipping as he slid backwards. However, he just had time to identify his attacker as a Supersoldier before the giant charged him and tackled again into his body. The force shattered some of his bones, making him gasp when the air was knocked out of his lungs. He snarled and bounced off the ground, jumping to the next roof.

Only to run head-first into an air conditioner thrown by another Supersoldier. The heavy machinery slammed into him, throwing him off his feet just long enough for the first giant to jump on him, both heels crushing into his chest and utterly caving in his ribcage, while also literally driving him into the roof. It stunned him for a moment, though he was aware of his insides already starting to fix him back together. The D-Code then however slammed his heel down into his throat, crushing his voice box.  _Well, thank you. Asshole._

A growl still managed to work itself out of his chest as Alex's arm shot up and machete-like talons ripped into the man's leg. His weight shifted slightly, more than enough so Alex could free the other hand and shove the guy off him. In the same motion, he whipped his body around so he was belly-down on his palms, and got his toes against the edge of the crater he was in. Then he pushed to the front, throwing his body off the roof in one smooth motion.

He hit the street with his feet first, threw a quick glance back upwards to witness the two D-Codes rush after him- and immediately started sprinting. He was faster than them, more mobile- and unlike them he could keep it up for practically forever. He lunged up the side of a building, one arm turning into his Blade as he flipped over and came crashing back down on top of a tank, easily hacking it apart in one violent swing.

Alex instantly pulled himself free and dove to the side, avoiding another D-Code (or maybe one of the previous ones? They all looked the same to him). He tore down the street, then pounced off and against a taller construction to get off the ground.

Another Apache rounded the corner, firing a volley of explosives at him, though missed by several feet. Alex only grinned and changed his course, going straight for the chopper. However, just as he kicked off the wall to jump over, the pilot suddenly yanked the controls around and the thing rolled out of the way. Alex whirled around, Whipfist formed from his Blade in an instant when the chopper dove behind the building and momentarily out of his reach. Nothing too dramatic, though. Alex curled up and expelled air, getting back to the building's facade.

It exploded under his feet in a shower of fire, glass and steel. The shockwave threw him through the air, disorienting him long enough until his back hit a roof hard. He barely felt the impact, however, as pain was to him just a signal that his body was broken. If nothing got damaged, then there was no reaction. What he did feel however, was irritation.

Alex snorted and was on his feet in an instant, and he sprinted across the roof towards a group of soldiers. One of them held a rocket launcher, and it was still smoking a bit. His Whipfist shot out and ripped through half of them in a single swing, parting their torsos from their legs. Before he could finish the other half, however, a massive shadow dropped down and grabbed the lethal barbed tentacle in a bone-crushing hold, stopping it in its track.

He snarled, glaring at the D-Code at the other end, then yanked at his own arm once to get it loose. The man skidded a bit, but then stopped and held on tighter. Alex bared his teeth at the giant, shifting his feet a bit over the gravel. Then the roof shook and another D-Code appeared right behind him. Alex whirled around, though couldn't go fast enough when the Supersoldier suddenly wrapped his massive arms around his chest and effortlessly lifted him up, crushing down bones easily.

“Got you now”, the giant declared. At the same time, the other guy who was still holding onto his Whipfist tapped his radio. “To all pilots: Move your crafts out of here. No Strike Teams. I repeat, no Strike Teams. That bastard took out six gunships at once. I repeat, no Strike Teams.”

_Well, there goes that possibility._ Alex thought wryly. He wriggled a bit, then picked up his voice. “You done?” He questioned, much to the men's surprise “Because I still have a facility to destroy.” Without warning, he kicked his legs out, the force throwing the D-Code slightly off balance and driving him deeper into his chest. 

With a simple mental command, Alex shifted parts of his back and shoulders to foot-long spikes, burrowing them through the Supersoldier and easily killing him by destroying all of his vital organs at once. At the same time, he wrenched himself free and lunged to the front, pulling himself along his outstretched whip for additional speed. His free hand shifted into his Blade, and he crashed hard into the second D-Code, driving his weapon right through the man's body. The blow wasn't fatal  _yet_ , so Alex twisted his arm and yanked the weapon out through the man's side, nearly cutting him to pieces in the process. The giant collapsed, either dead or fatally injured, and Alex pushed off and headed towards the facility once more. With no helicopters around and one part of the complex a flaming inferno already, the remaining troops were thrown into chaos. Alex tore through the riot and headed for the closest filter. He lunged towards it, his bladed limb shredding the reinforced metal of the gas container like wet paper.

A flood of red mist erupted from the broken unit, so Alex air-dashed to the side, heading for another closer to the burning Apache. He destroyed that storage as well, then catapulted himself off the floor to avoid the Bloodtox and another D-Code coming for him. He felt a tank shell whistle past him and immediately burst to the side to head across the compound's fence and get into an alleyway on the other side. The Supersoldiers predictably chased after him, so he slowed down to let them catch up. As soon they were close enough, he burst to the front and got out of their reach, sprinting down the street and circling the entire area to lose them before rushing back to the facility. They would come back soon enough to protect the gas works, so he just had to be a bit faster. He knew that sooner or later he had to roll over and play dead for them to take him to McMullen, but on the other hand, he couldn't make it  _too_ easy for them or else they'd know that something was off. And besides, with Greene dead and the Infection dying, Blackwatch was no longer welcome here. He could cripple them before they captured him. 

He tackled into a group of soldiers, killed the men within the blink of an eye and grabbed the single rocket launcher they had with them. He had noticed that whenever he had been near the gas tanks, the men had not used their heavy equipment. Most likely because gas under pressure was highly volatile. He could work with that.

Alex jumped up and aimed his launcher at the filter closest to the wrecked Apache, and fired off the armor-piercing Javelin Missile. The entire part of the facility blew up in a massive ball of fire, scattering the few remaining men everywhere.

The remaining D-Codes returned in that moment, obviously more than just a little pissed off. But that was okay, there wasn't much left of the compound anyways.

_Now's the chance to go down._ Though he did need to remain  _convincing_ .

He spun around and swiped his talons at the nearest D-Code, ripping through his chest armor and mask with ease. The giant caught his wrist with ease and just  _twisted_ , snapping it easily and holding him locked. Alex paused, glanced at his arm, then at the guy. “Mistake”

His other arm turned back into his Blade which he swung in a wide arc at the giant, stabbing it deep into the guy's torso. This guy, however, instantly let go of Alex and brutally kicked him back, yanking him free of his shoulder in the process. As soon he was free of him, Alex instantly shifted to his massive Hammerfists and sprang off the floor as high as he could. The Supersoldier stumbled back, staring at him, and two more joined him. Alex scoffed and hauled his arms back, hanging there for a moment before gravity took a hold of him. He tucked in his legs and swung his fists down  _hard_ .

The injured guy died instantly, the shockwave Alex created just by punching the floor easily tore his armor plates apart and drove their shards into his organs. The other two stumbled back, bleeding heavily from tears in their flesh. He dove at them with the Musclemass. One tried to balance himself, so he was the one Alex went for first. He just slammed both palms flat against the man's chest, caving it in and rupturing all organs inside with the shockwave alone. As the giant collapsed, he pounced on the next one. The man brought his arms up to defend himself, so Alex clung to his wrists instead and kicked both feet with all strength into the man's thighs. He shattered the bones and tore flesh, nearly ripping off one leg in the process. The Supersoldier fell back, and Alex simply lifted his foot to crush it down on the man's throat, snapping his neck easily.

Bullets impacted into his back, though most of them barely got through his surface. Were they really that stupid? Anybody with two eyes and a bit of brain would have noticed that it was impossible to kill him with bullets. However, they  _had_ to take him down so they could bring him to McMullen. It was risky to him- after all then they would realize what actually stopped him- but he  _needed_ to do it. McMullen was way more important than his safety.

But as long these idiots had no idea what to do, then he would have finished destroying the entire facility with no survivors. Annoyed he turned around and was about to maul these guys, when his world was suddenly drowned out in fire an pain. He jerked back out of instinct, then brought his forearm up to protect his face as it healed. More fire impacted around him, and his brain finally recognized it as incendiary grenades.

“Take him down!” A Supersoldier's booming voice ordered, “Keep him pinned down! Don't let him escape!”

Flames ate away at his skin and scorched through his flesh. He should probably call in his Armor and protect himself, but he had to look convincing for this to work. And these idiots had finally realized what it took to make a dent into him. (And it only took them most of the facility to do so)

Good. Alex lunged at the men, Whipfist swiping out in a wide arc. He aimed for their heads, but went slow enough for them to save themselves by ducking. It wouldn't be helpful if he killed them when they finally were starting to try to weaken him, though he could not act any different to how he normally did unless he wanted them to get suspicious.

Another D-Code came at him. Alex whirled around and slashed his Blade at the giant, forcing him to back off unless he wanted to get gutted. An explosion deafened him and threw him off balance, and his leg suddenly didn't take his weight anymore, sending him tumbling over the ground from his own momentum. His head snapped back, and he watched how his flesh was just in the process of regenerating from a particularly nasty blow from a grenade. His body seemed to grow more sluggish and his weapons quickly melted back into normal hands. He recognized it as a sort of alarm signal- his Biomass was too overworked with trying to fix him while also trying to keep the still lingering Bloodtox cloud off his back, it simply refused to obey him. Normally, that would be the sign for him to abandon his run on the base and get the Hell out of dodge. Normally.

Blackwatch approached him, heavy-duty rifles clutched in tense hands.  _Now's a good moment._ He growled at them, then threw a glance to the front. The last Bloodtox container was just a few yards down the compound. Alex pushed himself back to his feet and sprinted towards it in a feigned attempt to escape.

The Supersoldier realized it first and barked a single order: “Target the tank!”

Alex jumped off the ground and towards the gas tank when he heard the hiss of an Javelin Missile.  _This is going to hurt._ He braced himself for the inevitable howl of fire that washed over him in a deafening roar when the container burst in a violent explosion. The shockwave grabbed him and flung him through the air, slamming his body hard into the ground.

And this time, he did not get up again. Alex's entire system was blaring alarm, but he smothered it ruthlessly. He had to look defeated. Had to appear harmless- so he curled up and forced his own body to shut down.

He wasn't human, so he was perfectly capable to switch his system off. Hibernation, resting state...whatever it was, he could easily achieve it. Had figured it out when the parasite had been eating him. He had simply stopped breathing, had simply stopped his heart (or whatever he had instead of a heart), and just  _waited_ . He didn't suffocate, he didn't die. He had been awake, but to whoever was around, he was  _dead_ . And he was going to use it to get to McMullen.

Somebody kicked his back, forcing a flash of hunger through his Biomass, but he ignored it in favor for letting a few tendrils rush weakly across his surface before he went limp. His senses remained sharp, even though he had his eyes closed and slowed his own pulse and respiration to a near-stop. He felt the D-Code crouch down besides him, heard the confirming bleep of a scanner, and fought down the urge to spear him and the equally unsuspecting soldiers around with a Devastator.

“He's neutralized”, the giant claimed. “You know the drill. I want this in a storage device ten minutes ago.” Alex had to struggle to keep the grin of his face when he heard the next order. “Bring in the Bird. We're moving this to the Director. NOW!”

_Got you now._

* * *

 

Mercer did not move. He hadn't for the past 36 hours ever since his capture. He had heard it had taken an entire Bloodtox facility and no less than six Apaches to finally stop him, but then these savages had insisted on him not having any contact with Mercer until their own men had given the all-clear. McMullen leaned back, frowning. They hadn't found any sign of life on the Runner- no respiration, no pulse. The body temperature had been constantly declining too, until it was even with the temperature in the morgue. Only then they had allowed the guards to pull out, leaving him alone.

Thank God these brutes were gone. McMullen sighed. If they had just allowed him to examine Mercer's body right away, he could have learnt much. About how he worked, about how he was able to change appearances so easily, about how he could take memories like one would steal from a computer. It wasn't Runner behavior. He had studied Greene for so long, had learned as much about the female Runner as he could, even after she escaped- yet Mercer was nowhere near her. Greene had been controlled by Redlight, by the simple biological imperative to spread her disease, as had been all of the other Runners- but Blacklight was controlled by Mercer, not the other way around.

And that had set him apart from the others. McMullen wanted to know more about the virus. He needed to know what made it tick, what Mercer had done to create this marvelous piece. Shame about it, really. Mercer had destroyed his own work before running off, leaving them with no possibility to re-create what he had achieved. Those D-Codes Blackwatch employed- DX-1120- they were crude, hastily cobbled together barbarism. DX-1118C, Blacklight, was a masterwork. Like comparing a children's drawing with Michelangelo.

It surpassed everything he had ever dreamed about, the release of non-coding DNA in a way that gave Mercer abilities nobody expected of a virus. Abilities no mortal man would ever dream of having either. He was the artificial reconstruction of PARIAH, the child Redlight had given birth to using Greene; but no less marvelous.

McMullen had often wondered what would have happened if those two ever met. Would the Runner obey the natural release of Redlight? Or would they fight for dominance, like he did with Greene?

Logically speaking, Mercer should have been under Greene's control as she was able to control  _every_ strain they created from her, but it appeared Blacklight was ruled by the instinct to dominate the weaker strain. Interesting, really, because it meant that Mercer was not controlled by the urge to promote his strain as Greene was.

Was this something that only applied to Blacklight, or was it something that was shared amongst male Runners? PARIAH certainly did not seem to spread his strain either, but that could be because he never had contact to humans the way Mercer or Greene had.

...Damnit, why did they have to kill him? McMullen had been interested in learning about his motivations, as he had long since noticed that Mercer's mind was lucid, not driven by instinct as the other Infected were. He could have learnt much by just  _asking_ . The process of the infection, coupled with the wounds he had suffered in Penn Station, had caused an interesting case of amnesia. They should have been able to use Mercer by feeding him lies. But because Randall and his band of barbarians had immediately tried to kill Mercer, he had started to assault them in an attempt to defend himself and that sister of his. McMullen furrowed his brows, closing his eyes when he quietly mourned the wasted opportunity.

Instead of them using him, Mercer had started to exercise his abilities and had methodically attacked science teams, scientists, commanders and had  _learnt_ all about it himself. And even the trick with Parker had ultimately not yielded the results they wanted.

Somehow, Blacklight had managed to adapt to the cancer weapon. It shouldn't have been possible, yet it was. They had sorely underestimated the virus's natural adaptability. How had Mercer even managed to create this in the first place? Back when they had Bradley on it, they had barely scratched the surface, while this young sociopath had delved deep and managed in mere years what all of them had not in  _decades_ .

Mercer had been a genius, a brilliant mind. Just a shame he decided he suddenly had a consciousness and tried to bring all of it down. He had tried to call him back, to get him return the sample, but alas Blackwatch had interrupted it and shot him.

At least they had his body now, two weeks after the infection. From his DNA, from the way Blacklight had bonded with him, they could learn a lot.

McMullen turned his attention back to the screens- and froze instantly. The examination table was empty. He hissed and tapped the keys, circling through the different camera feeds. Maybe he just had the wrong feed?

An icy dread ran down his spine when realization sank in. He didn't switch the feed by accident. Mercer's body was gone. Who in the Hell-

The door fell close with a sharp  _clack_ , startling him so badly he grabbed the gun on his desk and whirled around. If it were those savages--

A pale face came into focus, hidden beneath a grimy hood. Mercer's eyes seemed to glow in the gloom, and his lips were pulled up into a loose grin. “Hi, Boss.”

McMullen jerked back, attempting to jump to his feet when his boots got entangled with the wheels of his office chair and he tumbled over to the floor, hitting the dirty carpet with a dry gasp. He instantly rolled over, gun aimed at Mercer. He just hoped he wouldn't see him tremble.

Mercer, however, only seemed  _amused_ at it. “That's a foolish thing to do”, he pointed out. Of course it was. He had seen him shrug off machine gun fire, even from a bloody Apache. A handgun wasn't even going to interest him. McMullen scrambled back as Mercer came closer, until he suddenly had the wall at his back. No way out! Trapped!

“You know who I am”, he commented with a low voice that was gradually picking up in intensity the closer he came. “And you know what I do!” He was close, too close, leaned over to loom over him like a real nightmare. McMullen's heart was pumping painfully in his chest, skipping a beat or two when the Runner's face was suddenly inches from his. McMullen twisted his head away, screwing his eyes shut and counting his heartbeats that went entirely too fast. He remembered the tendrils, how he consumed man after man- but they did not come for him.

He blinked and his pulse slowed down a bit. The tendrils did not come for him.

Mercer did not consume him. Why?

Instead, the Runner backed off, eyes narrow and piercing. “What happened?” He demanded to know.

He expected him to  _talk_ . Talking was something he could do. McMullen cleared his throat, clenching the gun in his hand. “Happened? You need to be more specific.”

“Penn Station”, Alex snapped. “You know what happened there.”

Ah, so that was it. He wanted to know what had occured that he got infected. The doctor sighed and leaned back, eying the Runner. “You were always so smart”, he admitted. “You were ready to give up all our secrets.”

He paced, eyes narrowing. “So you wanted to stop me. That's why you infected me. Killed all the people there?”

“No”, McMullen burst out before he could think better of it. Blast! He hadn't expected _this_. Damnit, he could have used his lack of knowledge perfectly.

Mercer's eyes narrowed some more, and he stepped back to loom above him. The director knew he had to act fast. He wanted the secrets. He wanted everything about Gentek, about PARIAH. Maybe he could...sidetrack him? Until he figured out how to get out of this?

“Gentek did not infect you. Are you insane?”

Mercer cocked his head, lips twitching into a frown. “You always were a lateral thinker”, McMullen added. “Plans within plans.”

“What do you mean?” He growled.

“You were ready to expose Gentek. Expose our work”, McMullen pointed out. “I don't know what in the blast made you do it, because you had no problem to design the virus. Hell, you have been proud of it, did work overtime just to make it even _more_ lethal.” He scoffed, leaning back. “And suddenly you developed a consciousness? Suddenly you tried everything to sabotage your own work.”

Mercer made a face, expression quickly turning confused. McMullen nearly laughed at it. He just managed to smother it, though couldn't stop a chuckle. “So you destroyed your own work. You  _stole_ the only sample and disappeared. We tried finding you for  _days_ . And then-” He held out his hands, palms up. “And then you suddenly appear in Penn Station.”

Mercer turned rigid, eyes widenening. McMullen shrugged. “Blackwatch cornered you. You threatened to release the virus. They thought you were bluffing.” His eyes narrowed. “You weren't.”

“What?” The Runner managed to grind out. His expression was so open, so...confused and _hurt_ , it was almost surreal. “But-I-” He trailed off into a shocked sort of whispering, going too fast for him to actually understand what exactly he was saying. 

“You died in Penn Station”, the Director added. “You died, threatening to release the most deadly virus in history on the people of New York. You died in Penn Station- but the virus found its way into your bloodstream.” He eyed him, watched the downright _horrified_ expression. “And here you are, filling in the blanks.”

“That's not-”

“We were trying to figure it out”, the Director told him, “You just wanted to bring it all down.” 

Mercer was frozen for a moment, until his face twitched and his expression turned  _livid_ . He could see the tendrils crawling over his skin. He growled lowly and made a move to approach him.

“But this isn't what you came here for, isn't it?” McMullen questioned, leaning to the front and stopping him in his tracks. “You want to know what happened at Hope, Idaho. You want the _truth._ ”

“Oh, I will know”, the Runner interrupted him, teeth bared in a snarl. “I will know everything.”

The Director nodded. “Yes, yes. I  _know_ the truth.” He tapped his temple with his gun. “Everything you need to know is in here.”

“You can't hurt me”, Mercer snarled. “You can't stop me.”

“Oh?” McMullen grinned. “There is _one_ thing I can do.”

He wasn't going to get out of here alive. He had always known this. Mercer was going to kill him, take his memories. He could not stop this, or prevent this.

But he could take his secrets with him.

Before Mercer could do anything, he flicked his gun up and pushed it firmly against his chin. He had a split moment to relish in the expression on the other's face once he realized what was going on.  _See you in Hell._

He pulled the trigger and his world turned dark.

 


	26. Awe

 

Dead! That son of a bitch was dead!

Alex snarled and lashed out, tearing out a wall with ease in his anger. McMullen was  _dead_ , and he hadn't gotten what he had come for!

Instead, that bastard had blown his own brain out. After getting over the shock, Alex had instantly went for the body, consuming it in vague hopes of getting at least  _something_ , but there was nothing to be taken. Blacklight was unable to get information from victims that had their brains destroyed.

“Fuck!” Alex whirled around, eyes narrowing on McMullen's guards that rushed the room, drawn there by his enraged yell and the gunshot. Before they could pick up their weapons, he killed them, consumed several of them to find at least _some_ outlet to the rage within. But no matter how much blood splattered against his body, it only pissed him off some more.

He couldn't help it being so worked up- but he knew it had been  _his_ fault and his fault alone that McMullen managed to get the easy way out. He shouldn't have let him talk. He shouldn't have wasted time letting him talk- he should have gone straight for his throat and be done with it.

But he hadn't, and that was all his own fault. In his fucking attempt to not give in to his real nature, in that pathetic try to act  _human_ , he had wasted his only chance at learning about Gentek.

The only thing he  _did_ learn, however, was what he did not want to know.

Even if it was the one thing he had been looking for. Now he knew just  _who_ unleashed him upon the people in Penn Station, killing all of them and waking Greene in the process. It had been  _him_ . Alex Mercer.

The  _real_ one.

Now he could finally make sense of what he saw inside his head. And he did not like it one bit. Alex Mercer had created the virus. Alex Mercer had bred Blacklight from Greene's Redlight, had made it even more lethal than it was before. And then he fled from Gentek, fled from Blackwatch- and took his work with him. He had attempted to flee, but Blackwatch had cornered him in Penn Station.

And Mercer had released the virus. He had fucking released the most lethal virus in history, damning everybody in Manhattan.  _Dana_ included. Alex snarled and crushed his fist into the wall, sinking it in to his wrist. That  _bastard_ had tried to murder everybody as a last glorious 'Fuck you'-  _Dana included_ . And the worst of all? He too had taken the easy way out. Mercer was dead, had died when Alex was born. His creation, his weapon he unleashed on the unsuspecting people of Manhattan- even if it burnt itself out too fast, an event he could not have foreseen. Just as he couldn't foresee the virus getting into his body, resurrecting it and walking off with it. And Alex, in turn, woke Elizabeth Greene to continue where Mercer failed.

Mercer had heralded the end of Manhattan, Alex had triggered it. Knowingly or not, he was just as much to blame as his creator.

He had dug too deep into this conspiracy, and had found things he really should have let burried. He knew the truth now, most of it- but at what price? He could no longer deny that this had nothing to do with him. Alex Mercer had unleashed Blacklight onto the city, and Blacklight had woken Greene. And Greene had taken Dana, had hurt her.

He would never forgive himself for this. He was never going to forgive  _Mercer_ for this. Not only for trying to murder everybody in a complete disregard for human life, but also for taking everything away from him, leaving him alone. What he thought belonged to him did not, was stolen from an asshole who wanted to see the world burn. Alex Mercer was just as much to blame as he had been, maybe even more so. He could no longer pay for his crimes, however, Mercer was dead, and Alex was the one to deal with the consequences- because as much as he loathed it, Mercer's face was his now. This had been the first body he had, and that made it the form he turned back to, no matter what he thought about it now.

And as always, there was nothing he could do about this. Mercer was dead and gone, had died after trying to kill everybody in Manhattan (and succeeding with Penn Station at least). And Alex could do nothing about it. He could stop taking  _this_ form, he could cut off and deny any contact with Dana, he could swear and throw tantrums, he could murder whoever got in his way- but that would change  _nothing_ .

He was still Alex Mercer, or the viral copy of him anyways. He was the weapon used to kill the people in Penn Station, and he was who had woken Greene. Mercer had created him, set him free to kill humans with barely any restraint. Both were to blame, both of them were monsters (though who was the bigger one was up to question). And no matter what he thought about it, what he believed- he could not change anything. Maybe he didn't want to change anything. Because no matter what, everything remained the same. What he felt for Dana remained the same. What he thought about Blackwatch remained the same. Whatever had happened remained the same. Nothing had miraculously changed just because he learnt just  _who_ that son of a bitch was who started all of this shit. 

Though, it wasn't as shocking as he thought it would be. It had brought him off balance when McMullen told him what happened, and he had quickly lost his control- but he already suspected it, making the truth far less painful. Mercer had been the head of the project, had access to Greene and the samples- and the man had been a sociopath and had already been watched and stalked by Blackwatch, even before he ran off.

He really should have been able to connect the pieces much earlier, but that stubborn piece of denial that had cropped up pretty quickly, and that had only grown stronger after he had learnt he had never been Alex Mercer in the beginning, had pretty much shut down that train of thought whenever it had tried to roll up. But the truth was out now and Alex wasn't sure how to react to it. Blind rage, yes, but asides from that? It might have been funny, maybe, because he had obviously tried to defend an asshole who had  _deserved_ every bit that happened to him in the end.

And Dana had no idea.

That thought soured his mood even more. He had been too occupied with his own problems, that it had never come to his mind to think about  _Dana_ . Dana- who was going to wake up and find her brother  _gone_ . The same brother that had left her when she was still a teenager; then when she came searching for him, cruelly  _used_ her to find information about Gentek, and who was readily going to kill her along with the population of Manhattan. And then  _he_ , a poor copy of her brother, dragged her into  _his_ problems. Problems that ended with her going comatose. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a sound that was half groan and half growl. He shouldn't be near her. He  _couldn't_ be near her. He had hurt her too much already, and now that he knew the truth...Dana did not deserve him. Did not deserve  _this_ . 

But...he  _had_ to tell her eventually. To put all the demons to rest. To allow her start new. It was going to hurt, yes, but she was better off without him. And that much he owed her, he knew.

Though, to allow her to live without his shadow over her head, he had to stop Blackwatch first. Because no matter whether Dana was with him or not- Blackwatch would always try to take her to bait him. And he would swallow the bait with no regard for his own safety, because Dana still meant so much to him. She accepted him- or at least accepted what he did- had helped him, had put up with him. And all he did was drag her deeper into his problems. He owed her, and that meant he was going to make sure she had everything she needed. And Dana was the only reason he was still wearing this face. Because Alex had been her brother. He was going to leave her with the decision. If she never wanted to see him again, then he would take another face and leave her.

He exhaled, shaking off the helpless rage about McMullen's death. There was nothing he could do about the past, but the future was within his grasp. And he was going to make sure Dana had a future.

And for this, he still had to destroy Blackwatch. To make sure Manhattan could never be repeated. He didn't care about the people, but he knew perfectly well that weapons like this should never be allowed in their hands. In the hands of the military. And Blacklight could help him there. The virus had been created as a way to take out people of a certain genetic trait. A way for the military to bring down their enemies.

Alex was going to do just that. Take down certain people: Blackwatch and everybody who had worked with them. Had worked on the project. Karmic retribution, in a way?

Maybe. But in the very least, it was something to do. His contact had said that things were going to get hot all too soon, and he had to be prepared to stop it. He did have a lot of time to think, when he had shut himself down during those thirty-six hours he had to wait until the security was low enough for him to jump McMullen. He still had loose ends to tie up.

Blackwatch, for one. He had to know who his contact was, had to figure out whether they were a threat or not. He had to get Randall, as he was the one who took Greene's child from her. He had to destroy every last bit of Redlight to make sure Blackwatch would leave Manhattan- without an infection, they were no longer needed and would be forced to leave, he figured.

He had to finish with Gentek.

Too many scientists that had worked with him were gone already, but some still remained. Men and women who could help him finish the picture he was working on. Would have information he needed. Karen, for example. He had already gotten to the men that had worked with her, had already gotten the Blackwatch goons that had whisked her away. But he needed to know from  _her_ .

And she still eluded him.

But he had ways to find her. Had possibilities now: He was in McMullen's lab. And McMullen had most contact with Karen ever since Mercer died. McMullen knew where she was.

And even though he had blown out his own brains, there were  _other_ ways to find what he needed to find. He grabbed the fallen chair, put it back up and sat down into it, turning to face the forgotten computer. He didn't know the password needed to get into its system, but he had already gotten so many technicians from his constant assaults on the military bases, he had a rough understanding of how to work around the little security that was present. And from the scientists he had consumed he learnt how to make sense of what he saw there on the screen.

He paused, then looked around a little helplessly until he found an external data drive. He snatched it, plugged it in, and just transferred whatever he found on McMullen's computer. What he couldn't copy, he deleted, wiped the entire system once he was done.

Less for Blackwatch to work with. He still crushed the computer beneath his Hammerfists for good measure when he got up, grinding all the important parts to dust just to make sure. He glanced at the data drive he had taken, then just shoved it against his chest. Tendrils slipped out of his surface, curiously tasting the surface, then curled around it and dragged it inside his body. It felt  _weird_ when it settled somewhere around his stomach, between some bullet fragments. He'd have to take this thing back to Ragland, make sure it was secure from the extreme beating he usually took. But he wouldn't go inside the morgue. Not to  _Dana_ . Not as long she was still comatose and defenseless. He couldn't risk leading Infected seeking revenge to her. 

Not again.

He heard boots stomping along the hallways, followed by loud expletives. The other guards had finally approached the lab. Alex growled and shifted to his Shield, then simply pushed to the front to plow through the men as if they weren't even there. The narrow hallways gave them no chance to dodge, and his extreme speed made it impossible to react in time.

None of them survived the impact, and he left a hallway soaked in blood and body parts behind as he headed up the stairs, looking for an exit. Though, strictly speaking,  _any_ window was an exit route. He just had to get to the opposite site of the building and a few levels off the ground, to avoid running into the Blackwatch troop that was camping outside the door.

It was easy to accomplish. Easier to be done. When the soldiers rushed around the corner, attracted by the sound of shattering glass, Alex was already long gone.

He found himself somewhere over the Financial District, at the top of some other glass-and-steel construction, as they were so common around here. Nearly every window was shattered, and wisps of red flesh had grown along the base. But as with so much of Redlight, most of the mass had died off, was rotting. He could smell it up here, an ever-present reminder that he had beaten Greene, and without her, her Hive was collapsing. He heard them, screaming for leadership, children stumbling in the dark.

It brought a grim smirk to his face. He had killed their order, and now Redlight was dying. He was the only one who could have taken the role of the leader, could have saved them- but he just kicked them back into the abyss. He did not want to be part of the Hive, denied any relationship he had with them. He wasn't like them, but he also wasn't human.

But the revelation- as much as it destroyed whatever he thought he had, it freed him from having to fit in. Freed him from having to play by their rules- he was going to do this  _his_ way.

Break them down, bit by bit until he had found everybody who ever had their fingers in this entire mess.

And the closest one was  _her_ . The woman who had betrayed him, stabbed that cancer deep into his body, let him rot and flounder about, constantly asking  _why_ . He now knew why, but that didn't make the pain any less intense.

He turned and headed north. Back towards Harlem.

Back towards  _Karen_ .

* * *

 

The days were like water. Steadily flowing between her fingers, unstoppable. Down here, in this basement of some building in Harlem, it was even harder keeping a track of time. No sunlight, no day and night- only work, work,  _work_ .

And  _fear_ .

Ever since Blackwatch had come into her home to tell her that Alex was dead, but his body kept walking around, re-animated by the most lethal virus known to mankind, fear had been a constant in her head. Somehow, it had waned slightly when  _he_ had sought her out, wanting her to help him, but it had jumped up and bit into her chest  _violently_ when she had send him to that Hive, where Blackwatch had been waiting.

She should have told him. Should have told him that they were controlling her, but she had been too much of a coward to do so. And then they have told her he managed to get away- and more importantly, he somehow managed to reject the parasite, even after it had shown promising results at first.

Fear had mounted into terror then, and she fully expected him to find her, break down her protection and tear her to shreds. But he hadn't, and the terror dulled into a numb presence at the back of her head. It had never turned less potent, though. If anything, the panic was only growing stronger the longer  _nothing_ happened. In the beginning, she hadn't been too opposed to the idea of him finding her and killing her. At least it would be quick.

Though, the longer he did  _not_ come looking for her, the more her nerves frayed. Because he was out there, she knew, and he was going to find her. He was probably not going to give her the mercy of a fast end then.

Karen groaned and dropped her head into her palms, rubbing the heels of her hands furiously into her dry and itchy eyes. The things on her computer screen had long since stopped making sense. She was exhausted and a nervous wreck, and could no longer focus on her work. But she couldn't focus on anything else either.

Her brain was a mess, just as most of her was. She hadn't slept much, barely eaten anything. The loneliness was tearing at her.

At first, there had been several co-workers and new faces who worked with her on the cancer weapon, but their numbers dwindled rapidly after she sent Alex into that Hive. And then one day Blackwatch was back at their lab and just took her to this basement laboratory with no contact to others. The soldiers that watched her didn't count. Black spooks, more machine than men anyways.

But they couldn't soothe the terror growing within her. If Alex was going to find her, then these men weren't going to stop him anyways. The question was: Did he care enough to come looking for her? Was he going to waste time coming here, instead of going after Blackwatch?

He never would have, before Penn Station. Time and resources and things like that- but after Blacklight took over? She was certain he was going to find her. Though, with everything going on, with Redlight spreading and millions dying- she clung to the hope that he would be too busy to do something about her, forget about her or simply not deem her important anymore.

But the waiting, the  _waiting_ \- it was grating on her nerves and wound her up so much, she felt taut like a coiled spring. The longer nothing happened, the more her brain started screaming, waking her up at night at every noise she heard, no matter whether imaginary or not.

Part of her just wanted this to be over, even though she knew that only her death would free her from this. She had sometimes thought about stealing one of Blackwatch's guns and just end it herself- but she did not want to die. Too much of a coward, actually. Though,  _anything_ would be better than this, she guessed. Well, apart from becoming one of those mindless Infected out there, but at least then she would no longer be afraid, because then there would no longer be a Karen Parker.

The door slammed open, startling her. She whirled around, eyes wide, expecting  _him_ bursting through- but it was a Blackwatch goon instead. She swallowed the terror that had been building inside her throat and dismissed the man. “I haven't found anything- I  _can't_ find anything unless I'm getting access-”

“We've been compromised”, the man suddenly cut her off. His voice was so monotone, so _dead_ , but Karen's entire back went ramrod straight. Panic exploded through her chest and cut off her air. She gasped, pulling back when the man made a grab for her arm. “Mercer knows you're on the payroll”, he said in short, clipped words. “We're evacuating.”

_Oh, Jesus_ . There wasn't really anything she could do. When Alex wanted her dead, she would be. If not today, then tomorrow. The day after that.

He would never stop hunting her, because he had always been single-minded like that. Before Penn Station and more so after it. The soldier was half-dragging her to the elevator. It wasn't unknown to her, this haste. She had experienced it twice, already. Once after she sent Alex into that Hive, and then another time when McMullen decided to relocate her. Strangely, when she first went into hiding back when Alex took her, she wasn't forced to leave everything behind and wait until they retrieved her stuff for her.

But the Alex that had helped her in and out of the  _tank_ he had stolen to take her to safety, the Alex that had just loomed behind her to hide his own confusion, the Alex that had awkwardly asked whether he should stick around and offer companionship- this Alex was long gone. Replaced for a literal killing machine that had no problem tearing through entire squads of heavily armed men or giant monsters with  _ease_ . The Alex that wasn't  _Alex_ but his creation, the deadliest virus in history, DX-1118C, running around in his body, believing itself to be him. The Alex that had come to  _kill_ her.

The soldier had pulled her into the graffiti-coated elevator, when her terror finally boiled over and she started to ramble. “You know what he can do”, she told the man, whose empty masked face just stared back. She wrung her fingers together.  _Oh Goddamnit._ “He'll kill me.” Because she betrayed him. Hurt him. And Alex never liked being betrayed.

The elevator shook and stopped with a resounding clang, and Karen's heart jumped into her throat. The man besides her swore softly under his breath, but she didn't pay him any attention. Her eyes flicked from one corner to the other, expecting claws slicing through the metal walls the next second. The red emergency light did not help any. Shadows twisted into monsters with black inky tendrils reaching out, trying to grab at her.

“Oh my God”, she whispered. “Oh my God...he's in the building.” _He's in the building_.

Her back bristled as every single of her nerves screamed  _danger_ . There was the faint noise of  _something_ moving. Like scales rubbing against each other, or flesh smacking together. Her heart thudded all too loud in her chest, and her blood was roaring in her ears. She heard her own breathing, short and panicking. In an instant, she realized that the man next to her was not the one they had given her for protection.

“I know” This voice- low, full of seething hatred. There was _nothing_ left of the man she once knew, the man she once _loved_. This was ZEUS, the creature she was tasked to weaken- something she failed. And now he was here to take revenge.

Escape was impossible- locked inside this elevator as they were. She had always known it would end this way, but this was too soon. Karen gasped and squeezed herself into her corner, eyes screwed shut. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, and it only turned more frantic when she heard the tell-tale scrape of metal claws against each other. But she couldn't escape. Not from him.

All she could do was wait for him to end her. Hopefully, it would be quick.

“Turn around” Karen gasped, trying to squeeze into the corner a bit more. It was useless, she knew. No matter where she went, he would always follow.

“You can't hide”, his dark voice growled again. “Turn around.” The screech of metal on metal made her flinch violently, so she jerked around. His head was lowered in such a way his eyes were hidden by his hood, but she could see the tense line in his jaw and his bared teeth. His black talons hung at his sides, but she could see them trembling with poorly contained _rage_.

Neither of them said anything, and Karen tried to shrink back as much as somehow possible.

“Did you know?” He questioned in a low tone.

He was... _talking_ . He didn't attack her, didn't murder her.  _At least not now._ Why was he talking? “Know what?” She managed to press out in a voice she barely recognized as her own.

“This!” He snapped, thrusting his claws to the front. She jerked back, eyes wide, when the razor-like talons stopped only inches away from her throat. Tendrils thrashed across the dark skin, curling at nothing, tasting the air. He had to know she was terrified. Nothing escaped _Blacklight_. It was a born killer, a predator made to hunt and infect.

She could see it in his eyes- hunger, rage- all of it mingled together. “Did you know this?” He asked again, talons clicking together. “Did you know what I am?”

Karen stared at him, eyes wide. “DID YOU?!” He barked, and his claw slammed into the elevator wall with enough strength to slice through the metal and sink his fingers in to the knuckles. She flinched again, brain finally catching up over all the panic.

“Yes”, she got out in what could have been a gasp. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and she realized that he wanted _more._ “They- they told me”, she added quickly. “Told me that you were a threat, a Runner like Greene. Told me to...to _use_ you. Lie to you.” He didn't answer, was just watching her. Karen swallowed, but now that he hadn't killed her already, her panic was slightly subsiding.

“But when you came to me-”, She cut herself off for a moment when his eyes narrowed dangerously. “When you were there, I wasn't sure anymore.” Alex still didn't say anything, but the cold stare turned more calculating than enraged. Karen figured it was a good sign, or at least one that meant she wasn't going to get torn apart right now. 

“I didn't believe it at first”, she told him, voice thin and _fearing_ his rage. “But then you showed up and...everything spun right out of control.”

“What happened before Penn Station?” He suddenly requested, head turned away so she couldn't see his expression. But she could see his clenched jaw. “Don't lie to me”, he warned a moment later, teeth flashing in the gloomy light.

She had no intention to, her fear from him being much too great. ZEUS was not something that could be lied to, and Alex always had this vengeful side. Only now he actually had the powers to back that up.

“Your work had meant everything to you”, she managed to say. “It drove everybody away from you the more you immersed yourself into it.” She paused for a moment, then added: “It drove me away from you. It was the reason I broke it off.”

Alex's lips were pressed into thin lines, but he didn't interrupt her. Karen ran her shaking hand through her hair and exhaled. “I think it had been the wrong thing to do, because suddenly you isolated yourself from everybody. Your co-workers, McMullen, me- I don't know who else, but it appeared you tried to...hide away?” She grimaced a bit. “One day you rush out of Gentek, looking  _hunted_ . I tried to figure out what was going on, but you brushed me off, told me not to go back- and then you vanished.” She swallowed. “And later you called me, told me you had 'insurance'. You have taken the virus with you.”

Alex moved. It wasn't much, just a minuscule lowering of his shoulders and a little shift of his foot, but it was there. “Blackwatch had given Greene to Gentek”, he said. “Wanted them to make weapons from the virus.” He scoffed. “They succeeded, in a way. Blackwatch has Supersoldiers, D-Codes. But  _Blacklight_ \- this was what they really wanted. As the project came to a close, they started cutting off loose ends.”

Karen's eyes widened. “Your co-workers”, she realized. “Those that had disappeared-”

He growled darkly, but not because she overstepped her boundaries- it was more of a confirming sound. “Blackwatch picked them off”, he snarled.

“And they were closing in on you.” Oh God- these men, they were going to _murder_ Alex for what he had worked on. 

No...they  _had_ actually killed him. Penn Station- they had killed him there. But Alex hadn't stayed dead. Instead, Blacklight had gotten into his blood, had changed him. Resurrected him- and was now standing in front of her.

And more even- what had happened  _before_ that now finally made sense. She gasped in realization and his eyes suddenly snapped to her, narrowing. She saw the tendrils curl across his surface. He was  _waiting_ for her to say something. But she knew his patience was thin- knew what he did if he  _craved_ information. She maybe understood that she would never leave this place here, but she certainly did not want to go  _that_ way.

“Alex Mercer ran away with a sample of Blacklight. The only sample of Blacklight”, Alex told her. “And then he released it, knowingly dooming everybody in Manhattan- if it had worked as he wanted to.” Her back turned to ice at the fine tremor in his voice. Rage, anger. Not at her, but...towards himself? Why did he refer to himself in the third person, anyways?

_Remember, Karen: There is no Alex Mercer anymore. All of it is Blacklight now._

Her eyes widened.  _Alex is dead, and the thing controlling his body wouldn't hesitate to kill you._

“You aren't infected. You aren't Alex.”

His eyes narrowed to slits, and in an instant, Karen realized that this had been the wrong thing to say. The back of her skull hit the metal of the elevator with a resounding  _crack_ , and her vision faded to white for a short moment. Then she was off the floor, squished against the wall and suspended a foot or so in the air. Lethal claws made of biological metal were closed around her throat, and chitinous spikes bit threateningly into her skin. Alex was pressed against her, teeth bared.

“I am _not_ ”, he hissed, “But judging from how _you_ just noticed it, you believed me to be him when you betrayed me.” His claws squeezed a bit more, and Karen's heart leapt into her throat. Her fingers scrabbled along the lethal talons, trying to find purchase, when she realized what he really wanted. She had betrayed him, sold him out to Blackwatch. He wasn't Alex, but he _believed_ himself to be him. He had thought they had been lovers before, but they weren't. He was just a doppelganger, a memory of the man she once knew. But neither of them had known. Her hands dropped from his arm.

“I did”, she replied in a dead tone. “I used you to create that cancer weapon, and then I sent you into that Hive.” She exhaled shakily, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “I betrayed the man I thought I loved.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”His question shocked her so much, her head snapped up, eyes wide. He was looking away and his voice was _dead_. The claw was still there, and his entire body was still tense, but his voice had dropped. “Why haven't you told me that they were _using_ you?”

His claw fell open and she dropped to the ground, her knees giving out so she slid down, staring at him as he stepped back. “I have seen the bruises”, he said. “I have killed and consumed  _every_ single of those guys that had ever lifted a finger against you. I  _know_ every word they told you. Every moment they grabbed you. I  _know_ you have tried to resist. You have tried to resist the first two days after Mercer disappeared. Even though you must have known he had the virus with him.”

“But I gave in”, she said. “Because I have been a coward.”

“A coward? You resisted _Blackwatch_ , psychological torture for longer than Mercer ever would have.” He scoffed. “In the end, you have only created a weapon to stop the outbreak. The outbreak that started with Penn Station.” He moved away, leaning against the opposite wall. As casual as his pose was, she could still see tremors wrecking his frame. Rage, barely hidden behind a facade of indifference. “Good work on that thing, by the way. If I hadn't gotten it out when I did, I probably would have died.”

She stared at him, not understanding. “Why?” She managed to press out. “Why are you-”

“Sparing you?” He cocked his head. “Because you meant something to me. To Mercer. You and Dana were probably the only ones in Manhattan he ever gave a shit about. I know he had tried to contact you, I know he called Dana, tried to get her to get out of the city. Blackwatch had tracked him through this call, so why had he done this if there hadn't been a bit of humanity left in him?”

“But-”

“I thought I could get something back with you”, Alex (Blacklight?) admitted. “I am not Mercer, but whoever that was- he's a part of who I am.” 

_Because you meant something to me._ Karen swallowed, tears stinging at her eyes.

“Alex-”

“You betrayed me, however”, he added, claws clicking together. “You were the one to create the parasite. You hurt me way more than Blackwatch ever could.” He shook his head. “But I am not going to kill you. No, I want you to _know_ what you have done. Alex Mercer had unleashed the virus, killed thousands in Penn Station- and this woke Elizabeth Greene. You were his accomplice, whether you knew or not. If you had told Blackwatch where he was, he would never have gotten that far.”

_He played me. Used me as a tool._

The Runner glanced at her, then turned around and jabbed his claws into the doors, prying them open. “Greene is dead. Blackwatch soon will be. You'd do better getting the Hell out of here and into safety to lie low until everything blows over.”

“Can't I just come with you?” 

He stopped and glared at her. “No”, he growled. “Because you betrayed me. Lied to me. I will let you go only this time.”

He had spared her, had let her off with a warning. But she could taste the unspoken threat in the air.  _Never, ever show your face around me again._

He simply walked out of her life.

 


	27. To the last Man

 

Blackwatch was leaving. Alex narrowed his eyes, watching them. Blackwatch was pulling back, leaving the Marines to fend for themselves against the Infected. Leaderless as they were, they were still dangerous- but Blackwatch was _leaving_.

_Why?_

He had consumed a few of the men, commanders even- but all of them only knew that Taggart was pulling the men back to Battery Park for extraction. And they followed the order. Sure, most of them were more than glad to leave Manhattan behind, but some were confused. They job was to take out the Infection, and despite it already dying, it was not _gone_. So why did the Colonel pull them back?

And that wasn't the only one. Alex had noticed the rift going on between Blackwatch and the Marines. Taggart, supposed connection officer between the two was more and more withdrawing himself. Nobody knew why, only the man himself did- but to Alex he looked ready to bolt, and Randall wasn't doing anything about it.

There was only _one_ thing that would render the man to this frantic state.

They were going to _glass_ the city.

Alex grit his teeth, swinging himself up on another roof to head further into the city. God, he hoped he was wrong. Blackwatch couldn't be that desperate to nuke Manhattan, could they? They had won- the Infection was dying. But they were fleeing the area. _Rats flee the sinking ship_.

Was it sinking? Were they really going to do the unspeakable? With him still running about, it seemed illogical to pull the men back before they finished their mission, but the other choice- he did not want to believe that they'll go _this_ far.

But then again, they _were_ _Blackwatch_. They already destroyed Hope.

He grit his teeth and glanced to the South. Towards Battery Park. Randall was there. All he had to do was to get to him, consume him- and stop all of this. But the question was: How was he supposed to accomplish this? Security was tight, and as soon he would be spotted, they would move the General. Not to mention he would probably get his ass handed to him. Too many D-Codes, too much Bloodtox and too many big guns. Alex was aware that this extreme amount of firepower was quite capable of killing even him.

He did not want to die, because then Blackwatch would have won. No, he needed another way. Somebody who already was inside- and _willing_ to help him.

It had been days since they last spoke, and he didn't know how much time was left.

But as fate wanted it- his phone was ringing. He pulled it out of his Biomass and answered it.

“ _Blackwatch and the Marines are thrown into Chaos”_ , the man told him without any preamble. _“Time is short.”_

“I noticed”, Alex replied. “Taggart is contradicting with what Randall wants.”

“ _That is why we have to be quick._ _Pier Forty. You'll find what you're looking for there.”_ The line went dead. Alex furrowed his brows. Pier Forty...while near a military base, it had no interest to them. And more even, the massive structure composed of a football, baseball and soccer field, garages and countless gift shops was perfectly suited for meetings nobody was supposed to know about.

Or an ambush.

But he wasn't afraid of that. Any troop large enough to harm him could not be hidden anyways, and single guys trying to take him were no threat to him. Hit hard and hit fast- and even D-Codes would go down.

And anyways, it couldn't harm checking things out, could it? Even _if_ it was a trap (and he actually doubted it), then the men he would encounter would at least know _something_. Something that would help him find his mysterious contact.

It was worth a shot.

Alex touched down on top of the New Ohio Theater only a few moments later. Blackwatch and the Marines were in turmoil, and nobody bothered looking up. He had went at his fastest, and remained unnoticed. It seriously worried him. Something was definitely _not right_.

Better get over with all of this as soon as possible.

He jumped off and soared across the streets towards the massive pier structure, touching down just on the parking lot before pushing off and heading to one of the giant floodlights of the football stadium. He had a better view from up here, and was more mobile than if he was confined down there.

Though, he was aware of the troubles around here. The salty scent of the sea made it hard to pick up any other traces, as Blacklight still feared the water nearby. Redlight never dared coming close to the Hudson river, and even Alex usually tried to keep his distance. He nearly drowned once, and despite not actually being human, he was still afraid of the pitch-black darkness and the icy cold so far below the surface. It wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Simply put, he didn't want to be here at Pier Forty.

But his contact claimed that he would find what he needed here. Just where was he supposed to start looking? The buildings? Any of the cars? The parking lot beneath? Any of the shipping containers stacked about?

He paused, glancing at the payphone at the end of the pier. The first contact phone he'd also found at the bottom of one of those. Maybe...

Alex headed over, eyes narrowing on the strip of silver duct ape at the lower side of the boxy construction. He drew closer, fingers brushing against the phone stuck there.

“I thought it was time we talked.” His eyes widened and he whipped around. That voice- _Mercer, you're a hard man to find!_

Not even five feet away from him was the very man that had brought him to his knees. The _only_ one who had managed to fight him- and _win_.

Captain Cross.

Alex growled and backed off a step. He couldn't see any weapons on the man other than a simple handgun and that blasted stun baton, though he couldn't see the grenade launcher anywhere- but that meant nothing. This man- this _human_ \- he had brought him down nearly on his own. Just through sheer force of will and stubborn relentlessness. And even though he broke just as easily as any other human, Cross was not somebody Alex wanted to fight.

He shifted his feet and tensed his muscles, every bit of his body starting to bristle, yearning to form claws, blades, spikes, armor.

The Captain watched him, unmoving and Alex bared his teeth in rage, clenching his fist and ducking low to tear him to pieces. “You don't want to do that”, the man quickly pointed out, hand slightly lifted and open, showing that there was nothing hidden within. No weapon. No threat.

But Alex still flinched slightly and the need to just _shred_ the guy roared at the back of his mind when the Captain moved his other hand. It wasn't empty, and the realization nearly sent him into a frenzy- until he recognized the object as a phone.

Cross pressed a button and the phone behind Alex's back started ringing.

* * *

 

When they had pulled out of Mount Sinai, Cross had been less than happy. Four of his team were dead- four guys he had known and worked with for a decade, four guys who had given other Blackwatch troopers a run for their money. Dead within moments after ZEUS got to them. Then there were his own ribs- ZEUS had only brushed him, and it had still broken three of them and bruised two more. He was probably down on the bench; a dog useless for hunt, but too precious to just put down. So he had to wait until he had healed.

And ZEUS had escaped.

Despite everything, that thing had managed to escape.

And that was where he had stopped and thought about it. Most of the things just did not add up. And Randall hadn't told him anything. Not what really _interested_ him.

First of- he had seen Runners. Mentally, they were gone, were controlled by the infection to spread. ZEUS was not. ZEUS was still human, or at least it behaved like one. Rationality, intellect- all of it were _human_ standards, not viral.

Second- its abilities it displayed. It could transform into anyone, could get information and secrets out of whoever it consumed. No Runner or Infected he'd seen before were able to do that, no matter how deep the infection had dug.

Third- ZEUS's attacks on their bases. It weren't wanton slaughter fests, even if they looked like it more often than not. No, this thing was _looking_ for something. It wanted answers, answers to questions Cross now realized were his own too.

Where did the virus come from? What did Randall hide? What had really happened in Idaho? What made ZEUS so different to the others?

He had been grounded anyways, his damaged ribs had effectively ended his hunt for ZEUS, but as long he refrained from hard physical activities, the medics had no reason to confine him to a drab sick room. Armed with pain killers and stiff bandages, he had ventured right back out of the med bay to address his team. While the were still in shock about having lost their teammates, their conditioning would allow them to keep going until the mission was over. And with him out of the picture, they were supposed to mingle into other teams and whip them into shape. The Infection was marching on relentlessly, and Blackwatch needed a better strategy to tackle it.

But Randall was too stubborn to change his ways. What they were doing had maybe been enough in Idaho, but Manhattan was not some hick village at the ass end of nowhere. Too many Infected on too little space, too much variations, too much unknowns. They were losing way too many men- Marines and Blackwatch alike- but nobody ever bothered changing the damn tactics.

Splitting his team up wasn't the smartest choice, but it prevented his bosses from doing that themselves and stick them somewhere their abilities were wasted (like guard duty). And if they could get at least some of the men under control and make sure they got home, then it was more than worth it.

They had to look after themselves- and Cross had some free time now.

ZEUS did interest him. Randall had called it an 'it'- but he couldn't wrap his head around that. ZEUS was more human than the Infected out there. But it was scared, confused, and angry. Anybody with two brain cells would be able to see that.

_How can I use this?_

Blackwatch was unable to stop the Infection in time, couldn't even get _close_ to Greene. In the past, Cross had taken down another Runner- way less powerful than Greene was- and he had been _alone_ when he faced her. An army would not manage to get even close enough before they were detected and the Runner fled. But a _single_ man had much better chances.

ZEUS was the best bet. It seemed to hate the Infected a lot more than it did Blackwatch- and if it believed it was human, then maybe they could use it?

And that had been when Cross decided to get whatever information he could get. Randall was lying to him, was hiding the truth. He knew it, but he was right at the source. He had headed back to HQ. Unlike most other agencies, Blackwatch still preferred keeping their files old-school, but they didn't bother actually filing access forms.

The pencil pusher looked up when he approached.

“Captain Cross?”

“The same”, he replied, easily managing to suppress his urge to yell at the kid.

“What brings you here?”

“I need to take a look at some files”, he answered. “Mercer.”

The kid made a face. “Is that approved by General Randall?”

“It is”, And technically it wasn't a lie. “Bastard kicked my ass the first time around. Not going to let that happen again.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Cross easily headed through and went straight for the filing cabinet. The kid would pretty soon forget their talk, or interpret it differently to Cross's real intentions. He would think he was here to get ready for round 2, while he was really here to figure some things out and answer some of the questions he had. Alex Mercer's file was open to everybody anyways (but apparently nobody bothered looking). Even though the most important things were not included, it would give him a point to start from.

He placed the folder down on the stainless steel table and started rooting through it. Alexander James Mercer. Born on July 16 th , 1979. Had a younger sibling, Dana Anne Mercer, and his parents were divorced. Grew up under governmental care after his mother had been found guilty and got locked away for child- and substance abuse. Took over the custody of his sister as soon he had been old enough. Went to study in Manhattan, then got his job at Gentek. Romantically involved with his co-worker Karen Parker. Up until there, nothing new. He had heard of it before, just a few days ago when Randall told him to get Mercer.

But then he noticed the remark 'Terminated'. Interesting...His eyes narrowed and he flipped a page. Phone transcripts greeted him. _Blackwatch_ phone transcripts. So Blackwatch had been after the man...before he got infected in Penn Station?

What the ever-loving _fuck_ was Blackwatch doing in Manhattan, stalking a geneticist?

He paused, leaning back and brows furrowed in concentration. Mercer was a geneticist, working for _the_ leading genetic company (all common knowledge he had gathered from various newspaper articles regarding Gentek)- and he ended up getting infected with the probably most lethal virus known to man- but didn't die, unlike all the others.

Five thousand people dead within three minutes in Penn Station. Too efficient to actually work, because nobody was left alive to spread it. Highschool knowledge told him that a virus that can't spread was doomed to go extinct. Which meant that Blacklight was not _natural_.

Gentek was a genetic company. Gentek worked with Blackwatch- something he had learnt when Randall had brought in McMullen. Randall claimed that Gentek were their advisers, but now? There was more to it. Because if Greene had been in Blackwatch's hands, then how did she end up with Gentek?

He remembered what he learnt about Blackwatch back when he had been new to their ranks, after Springfield. Blackwatch had started out as a weapon production for DARPA. Until Idaho.

Then they changed their ways, became the first response to fight biological threats, had always been there when some Runner got loose and fucked things up.

Where did those Runners come from?

Greene was the first, but they had _nuked_ Hope. Nothing should have gotten out of there- not even Greene. But Runners still existed, made it necessary for Blackwatch to roll in and take them out before they could cause damage.

He leaned back, fingers drumming against the table. Blackwatch had been founded to first _create_ biological weapons. Blackwatch was now _hunting_ biological threats. To do what?

Certainly _not_ to kill them off. Because then there would be no Runners to deal with. Then there would be no Greene left, and no ZEUS running amok.

...And no Blackwatch to stop them.

Cross's brows came down in a frown. With no biological threats, there would be no need for Blackwatch. Or at least, no need for Blackwatch as they were now. The government always pinched money to feed their bloated bureaucracy- education, healthcare, infrastructure. And Blackwatch without a mission was another money sink they could bleed dry.

So...did Blackwatch let loose those Runners? Just to make sure they still had a job to do?

Like the arsonist firefighter?

...What if they never changed their old ways? DARPA had founded them to _create_ biological weapons to take down enemies. The outbreak in Penn Station- it was too efficient to be a natural occurring disease- which meant that it had been man-made. A _weapon_ against whoever it was used against.

And it was entirely possible that McMullen had _Mercer_ work on it, and the man had done as he was told to, like an obedient dog. Only then he suddenly turned his loyalties around, fled to Penn Station- and released the virus.

Because it was _Blackwatch_ that had cornered him.

So, Blackwatch paid Gentek to create Blacklight. And then they were dumb enough to let Mercer escape and disappear for several days until they picked him back up at Penn Station. The doctor that had access to the most lethal biological weapon- and they didn't even bother checking whether he had it on him when he tried to escape. _Sloppy, Randall._

Cross leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Mercer had been the one to create the virus, yet ZEUS was not the same person. He had the body and the face, obviously a few memories- but not all of them. Or else this thing would have abandoned everything and would have gone hidden.

Instead he stayed, tried to undo what Mercer had caused.

More even, he _fought_ back. He assaulted Hives just as much as he did bases. And he had figured out that Blackwatch was behind all of this.

“How can I use that?” He mused out loud. _And what else is there?_

He rolled the bottle with his pain meds between his fingers, then got up. He still had a lot to do.

* * *

 

“Shouldn't you be resting, Sir?”

Cross arched his eyebrows at the other. “Shouldn't you be off with your new team?”

“I should”, was the reply. “But they gave me a day or two off after what happened to Ty” he trailed off, expression darkening.

The Captain sighed, ignoring the sting from his sides. “Telling you that I'm sorry won't do jack shit, Dave.”

“It won't bring him back”, the other agreed. “We've both known the risk of this job. Just doesn't make it any easier.” He sighed. “Ah, how the fuck do I tell this to mom?”

“By making sure you get out of here alive”, the Specialist commented. “And tell her yourself.”

His subordinate snorted. “Guess the best idea would be to go to ZEUS and rip its fucking head off.”

“That won't help your brother either”, Cross growled. “Remember how he grew back his face?”

The other furrowed his brows. “Not really”, he admitted, “Too far away- but Amanda had blown off its head, right?”

“Yes. Didn't stop that bastard, though.” He shook his head. “Something doesn't add up. Those freaks out there die when you pump them full of lead. ZEUS shakes like a dog and is _fine_. The difference between them...is too large.” ZEUS was so far away from what he'd seen on that Arizona Runner like a rifle was from a thermonuclear warhead. “I get the feeling we don't have _all_ information that are available.”

“Sir?”

He waved his hand. “I mean I am sure that Randall and McMullen are using us as meat shields, let ZEUS and the Infection chew through our ranks while they sneakily hide away and wait until everything blows over.”

Dave grunted in acknowledgment. “Yeah. Get the same feeling too, and most of the others probably know this as well. You got any ideas?”

“Not against the big guns. Only against ZEUS- never stray too far away from any others”, Cross replied. “And make sure you always keep the others under supervision. We don't need ZEUS sneaking in.” He paused, eyes narrowing. _ZEUS sneaking in_.

This wasn't normal Infected behavior. While he had already established that Mercer was vastly different to the Infected out there, he hadn't managed to figure out _why_.

“The record room”, he growled. Dave glanced at him in surprise. “Need more data on ZEUS”, Cross clarified. “Something's not right.” He didn't say what exactly. Until now, it was more of a feeling, really. Something was very, very, _very_ off about that Runner. Something neither McMullen or Randall knew- or at the very least, did not tell them about.

He left the other man and headed for the record room, requesting the clerk there to give him whatever they had about ZEUS. The guy looked even more disinterested than the last guy, and just shoved a data drive over to the Captain. Cross took it and headed to the surveillance gear specially placed here for this kind of things. Usually there would be more guys around, ready to learn- but this time he was alone. He didn't mind.

So he spent the next time just watching various videos of ZEUS. He saw how that thing descended into a group of Marines, tore them to shreds. He saw how he lunged from roof to roof, how he _lifted tanks_ and just threw them like pebbles. He saw an unmarked soldier sneak up behind a commander, grab him- and just step into his shape. He saw how he then proceeded with walking up to a keypad, enter a code- and the door opened.

His brows came down in a heavy frown. This was, without doubt, ZEUS. However, no other Infected displayed _this_ sort of ability. No other Runner, either.

But ZEUS did. He casually shifted his form from Mercer's into any other person. _And_ he had known the code to that building- a code only three guys had known. It indicated that this thing was able to take _memories_.

_Here's what's known: the subject can shift its body structure to an unknown degree. It can fashion portions of its body into a weapon, change its facial features and perhaps even imitate voices and mannerisms.  
Long and short: it's a security nightmare._

_What if ZEUS collects minds like children collect moths?_

A security nightmare, that was one way to describe it. And as sick as it sounded- but it did put some things into relation. Mercer probably had never owned a gun, seeing as he grew up in poor conditions- yet as ZEUS he had been capable of using military equipment. And that did not only include weapons- he was perfectly able to hijack _tanks_ and shut down viral scanners, if the reports from a few days back when he assaulted Battery Park were anything to believe. He did believe them.

But Infected _could not_ do that. It was impossible.

His mind wandered back to when ZEUS pulled out those claws. Serrated edges, metal in their structure. A human body did not contain enough metal to pull this off, and the Infected's claws were bone, sitting at the end of heavily malformed limbs.

And they could not change them. ZEUS could- the transformation to his various weapons or back to human hands was fluid, like water or sand, not a slow progress of twisting bones and tearing flesh- and it was reversible. The Captain tilted his head back, staring at a corner of the room where one of those skinny spiders had built its diffuse web. ZEUS's transformations- not only the weapons, but the shifting between faces, the _healing_ he did- they looked nothing like flesh changing its form. It was as if matter was just transferred from one place to another- but that too did not fit with what the Infected did.

They had organs, bones, tissues. What ZEUS did on a regular basis didn't follow any biological rules- there were no bones that shifted, no muscles that twisted. It was all a black and red mass of flesh and tendrils that rapidly changed and turned into what looked like skin and leather and metal.

_As amazing as it seems, he can manipulate his body on the genetic level. The changes are instantaneous. Everything, even the clothing, is imitated. Tissue differentiated and transformed on-the-fly._

Just...what did it mean?

ZEUS did not have a body the way Cross had one. Everything about him could be shifted, could be transformed. But that created the question- was ZEUS an Infected entity, or was he just Blacklight _imitating_ an Infected entity? It would mean that all of it was the virus imitating a human form.

...What was Blacklight's purpose?

It had run out of control, and the virus taking over Mercer's body had certainly _not_ been planned- so what had been its purpose that it had been designed for in the beginning? His eyes narrowed as he got up. McMullen and Randall would _know_ , but asking them was out of the question. Randall refused to see the possibilities they had and tried to burn everything, while McMullen was a nutjob who praised ZEUS as something he clearly was not.

“Sir!” Cross's head snapped up, and he watched a soldier hurry towards him. “Sir, General Randall wishes to see you now.”

He sighed and turned around. Randall wishing to see him after such a failure didn't mean anything good. Oh well. Better get over with it as soon as possible.

He got out of the building and headed over to HQ, moving quickly and easily past several viral scanners. Randall looked up when he approached, heavy brows pulled down in a deep frown.

“Sir”

“Captain”, he growled, then turned to McMullen. “Doctor, mind reminding me what the 'weapon' was supposed to do to ZEUS?”

Cross couldn't hide the little gleeful smirk at the doctor's floundering. The man cleared his throat easily enough though. “Well, the weapon was supposed to act as a form of cancer. Drain ZEUS's biological matters for its own growth and create a cure against Blacklight.”

“And the effect on ZEUS?”

“Well, it was supposed to shut down its system while it was developing inside it, by affecting the nervous cells.”

“Then tell me- how in the Hell did this bastard escape?”

McMullen only shrugged. “I can only guess that ZEUS's adaptive biology is attempting to suppress the weapon.” He paused for a moment, before adding: “However, I believe that the weapon will continue weakening ZEUS until it can simply be...picked up.”

“Really?” Randall's frown deepened as his fist curled together. “Then tell me, how in the world did this bastard manage to kill nearly all my men in the Red Zone _and_ get away?”

Cross's eyes narrowed. “Sir?”

Randal glanced at him. “Captain Lim”, he told him, “Along with his team. ZEUS massacred them and escaped. A pair of pilots spotted it several Blocks to the north, before it disappeared completely.” He grabbed a few print-outs from what Cross suspected where video clips from their surveillance gear.

Curiously, Cross looked them over, until he paused. “No claws”, he said. Randall and McMullen both eyed him, so the Captain pointed at the different pictures. “ZEUS usually has some sort of weapon when fighting Infected or Blackwatch. There are none here.”

“Interesting”, McMullen piped up. “This means that its abilities are restricted already.”

Yeah, but it worried Cross. Because if ZEUS was- despite not having access to his powers- attacking and fighting a whole squad of Blackwatch, then he was being _desperate_ about it. McMullen said that he was going to be weakened soon, but he didn't buy it. Weak maybe, but that thing was nothing if not resourceful. No, he was going to make a comeback soon enough, and Cross needed to be ready for that.

When he left HQ, he was turning several ideas over in his head. He still had to figure out what Blacklight was, and he had to find out what ZEUS was planning. Captain Lim was his best bet- because if he too could take memories, then he would always go for the commanders of an army. Something ZEUS did to gain access. Access to what?

He instantly headed back to the command center and to the mission reports. He needed to know what Lim's mission had been, to figure out what ZEUS wanted of him- because there was a _reason_ he assaulted _this_ man, even in the thick of battle.

And that meant he had to root through the mission reports. Not the latest one- Lim assaulting a Hive meant nothing to ZEUS, just a convenient place to pick off the captain. What he had needed of Lim was in his past. Something Cross had to figure out.

Records of missions, transcripts of phone calls, heavily censored already. Something did not add up. Why would Blackwatch try to cover up their own missions? Okay, given they've always done that to brush things under a carpet where they could rot away, but why Lim? Was he in on something?

Or was there someone he met nobody should know about?

What about McMullen? He certainly did look guilty enough, now that he thought about it. But luck was on his side, one of the mission briefings must have been overseen in the censoring- or it hadn't been recognized as important. It was about Randall demanding Lim to head to St. Paul's and get the bodies of two Penn Station victims from a Doctor Ragland McMullen had transferred there before. Doctor Ragland? Randall had implied that he doctor was already involved with all of this.

Involved with Blacklight? If McMullen had handed him the Penn Station bodies, then the answer was _yes_ . Which meant, he had to figure out what Blacklight _was_. Just those secrets wouldn't be sitting around in easy-to-access office rooms. He needed to be a little bit...convincing to get it. Good he knew just who he could get on it.

So he walked straight out and over to the vehicle pool, finding the man he had been looking for.

“Hoffman!”

“Sir?” The Wiseman turned around, posture stiff and alert.

Cross approached him, voice dropping. “Listen, before you came to Blackwatch you have been working in the 'Unregistered Acquisition' area, haven't you?”

The man ducked his head slightly sheepish. “Uh, if you mean 'breaking and entering', yeah.”

“Good, because I need it.”

He blinked. “Sir?”

“Randall is keeping secrets. McMullen too. How can anybody expect me to do my job if they never give me what I need?” He tapped his foot. “So I want you to get into McMullen's personal office. Find anything you can about Hope and Blacklight. But make sure nobody ever notices a thing.”

The soldier glanced at him, before a smirk crossed his features. “God, you're serious. Well you've come to the right guy then.”

“Good. Take what you need, I'll cover for you.”

* * *

 

Uncensored, unedited research material was spread out in front of him. Hoffman had done splendid work acquiring this data, had even went so far as to take an empty folder, fill it with printing paper and put it back in place. Cross had then taken it to his own personal safehouse, an abandoned apartment in the living complexes overlooking FDR drive. He had taken it over only recently and just after having been stationed at the Williamsburg military base. Blackwatch didn't know about it, neither did his team. Which made it a perfectly secure area to work in.

Cross's expression was dark however, because this sort of betrayal he hadn't expected from _Blackwatch_ of all things. He learnt that Operation Altruistic had never been about eradicating the Infection that had taken over Hope. It was about extracting Elizabeth Greene. It had been Randall's ticket to the power he craved.

And what for? To use the strains her body produced to continue the research of biological weapons. Project _Blacklight_ was the most ambitious project, having been in production ever since Blackwatch started working with Gentek in the 80s. They had wasted more than two decades on this, and it had ended in a lot of dead ends. When they had Mercer on it, he increased the virus' lethality by ten. And not only that- he had also managed to have the virus absorb and recombine any genetic trait it had been fed- something Redlight hadn't been able to do like Blacklight could. It was a weapon designed for annihilation.

And Mercer had set it free.

But after killing everybody in Penn Station, it had become inert, had retreated into its creator's corpse and resurrected it. Walking off with his form and believing itself to be him. Now he was looking for answers, answers Cross had. Randall, McMullen- they were betraying everything Blackwatch stood for. Were lying to their men- were lying to _Cross_ , and it had cost him four of his team. It appeared there was a need of change in leadership.

But he wasn't _stupid_. He couldn't stand against Blackwatch- though ZEUS could. He could walk where Cross could not- he could take care of Randall and McMullen without suspicion falling on him.

Oh, Cross had no intention betraying Blackwatch or the United States. He wasn't going to side with a thing that could very well destroy the world on a whim. However, Randall and McMullen were actively trying to develop weapons meant to destroy people in the worst ways possible, were actually breeding the very shit their oath bade them to destroy. They were just as much danger to the people as Greene was. And to stop them, he was going to take the plunge. ZEUS was there, willing to eradicate the Infection- he just needed a little push into the right direction.

And for this, he needed to find the thing first. He had followed the reports, went with squads towards Hell's Kitchen to check up on the building several witnessed have seen ZEUS come from, chasing down a Leader. Nobody there, but the stuff he found told him that ZEUS hadn't spent any time there _alone_ . _Dana Mercer_ , the younger sister had been present as well. Now they weren't.

 _Where are you now?_ He wondered. And the answer was: With Doctor Ragland. It made sense, because the man had worked on Blacklight as well, until he resigned from the job. He was still here in Manhattan, had access to the knowledge needed to cure the parasite- and ZEUS had been seen nearby a few times. ZEUS who no longer sported the parasite inside his shoulder.

When ZEUS showed up around their Hammer and started following it around, _protecting_ it according to the reports- before he hijacked it and cracked the Core Hive himself, Cross knew he had to act _fast_. Several men witnessed that ZEUS ended up stealing an unconscious woman away (Dana Mercer, according to the description), all he had to question is where somebody would take a critically injured person. The answer was: to the hospital and the man that had helped before.

It was four in the morning when Cross reached the St. Paul's hospital with a supply truck. Nobody questioned him, since he always used his free time to check up on the men. Just checking up, not like Randall or Taggart who barely gave a shit about them. Now with him technically on sick leave, he had a lot more free time, so seeing him around didn't come as surprise to them. He easily managed to slip away and head for the morgue. Bleach could numb ZEUS' sense of smell, so the antiseptics that were biting even his nose should perfectly cover his scent. He dropped the map he had ripped out of an old city guide in front of the morgue, but took care that it wouldn't be seen by anybody _not_ walking towards the entrance- which meant nobody who was walking out of the morgue and towards the bathrooms or the elevators further down the hall.

Then he caught the next transport and got back to Williamsburg, just in time to find Alistair walking towards the vehicle pool.

“Alistair!”

“Sir?”

“What's your objective today?”

“Patrol duty”, the man shrugged.

Mhm. Cross tapped his foot. “Can you switch to the Highlines?”

The pilot frowned. “Highlines? But that's...” He furrowed his brows. “That's a pick-up and rescue mission.”

“Don't tell me you'd rather sit your ass flat circling the island than blowing up Infected?” He inclined his head. “Besides, I need someone to look after the others. Any other pilot would probably crash the chopper in one of the Red Zones, kill everybody. And Santos is going to be on one of those teams. I don't want to lose any more Wisemen. You have to keep an eye on things.”

The pilot shrugged. “Can do that. Hell, most of the other guys would probably kiss me for switching with them.”

“Good”, he paused, then his expression turned serious. “But make sure you _never_ stick around on your own. Always have your back to a wall and at least two others within your vicinity.”

“No problem there.” The pilot saluted and walked off, leaving Cross to slip out of the compound, attach a cheap old phone to the payphone closest to his safehouse before settling down and starting to watch it.

ZEUS appeared only about half an hour later.

Cross called the number, and watched how the Runner picked up. “Mercer”

* * *

 

“Sir, what the fuck?!”

Cross glanced up from the reports he was working through, eying the pilot stomping towards him. “Yes?”

“Bloody ZEUS had been there!”, Alistair complained. “The entire time, had bloody _eaten_ and copied Private First Class Lamons!”

“I know”, Cross pointed at the reports on the table. “Seems not even our 'secret' weapon managed to stop him, though.”

“Nah. Tore right through these big bastards, then escaped.” Alistair sat down into the chair opposite of Cross with a groan. “Not even this fancy gas stuff seemed to slow it down.”

“Yes. _Bloodtox_.” He scoffed.

“But it seems to be working against the other zombies, though.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. Overheard some guys discussing to field it. Like Agent Orange. Want to box ZEUS in.”

“That will only end poorly”, Cross replied, brows furrowed. “They're seriously underestimating the adaptive abilities of those bastards.” Not exactly his words, though. Because he had lunched with some of the team, and Anders already compared the Bloodtox with penicillin- while Hoffman then added a thoughtful 'Stuff ain't effective anymore. Crap germs have grown immune to it'. If ZEUS grew immune to the stuff, then the other Infected would do so, too.

“Hm.” Alistair leaned back, when he spotted a folder peeking out from under the sheets of paper. “Sir? Is that...”

“Top Secret”, Cross sighed. “Damn, getting too old for this spy crap.” He shuffled the folder and slid it out of view.

“ _Idaho_ , Sir?”

“Yeah”, he furrowed his brows. “Randall's been lying to us”, he growled. “Not only about ZEUS, but also about everything else. _Blackwatch_ were who developed the virus that eradicated Hope in the first place, and our bosses are behind what's happening here.” He shook his head disgusted. “Of course they didn't tell us. But if nothing changes, then all of us are going to end up in one of those barges out in the Hudson.”

“While Randall nukes the city”, Alistair finished darkly.

Cross's head snapped up. “What?”

“I talked to Spearman”, the pilot said. “Sod told me he was supposed to retrieve the file about _Firebreak_. Randall called it their last resort.”

“Fuck”, Cross sank back into his chair. “Tactical nukes, and on _Manhattan_ , even. Is there nothing sacred anymore?”

This only spelled out trouble. He had to hurry.

“Shit, okay”, he got up, ignoring the painful flare from his ribs. “I have something to do.” He eyed Alistair. “You find Hoffman. Tell him to get the files back to McMullen before he notices they were gone.”

The pilot inclined his head. “...What are you planning?”

“Treason”, Cross replied. “Or at least treason in the eyes of the upper echelons. But I'm going to make sure all of us get out of here _alive_. And Randall will not use _Firebreak_.” He was going to do Blackwatch's job, and if it meant siding with Mercer, then he was going to do so.

* * *

 

Greene was dead. Mercer had killed her, and more importantly- removed any trace of her from existence. The Infection was thrown into turmoil, picking them off suddenly became easy like shooting clay pigeons. His Wisemen had been returned to him when the doctors cleared him for active duty, with the advice on not taking any more hits to the chest. Well, 'cleared' was one way to say this. He had quickly noticed that there simply haven't been enough men left for others to pull their ass- and as long he still had all limbs, he qualified as 'able for duty'. At least he was back in the field, and after he had sent Mercer into McMullen's direction, they would need every man available to take control of the city.

But Blackwatch was splitting. Half the men continued their original mission, the other half was...backing off? It wasn't _Firebreak_ , though- Randall hadn't issued it yet (did he?). It was a general retreat ordered by _Taggart_ , the Marine colonel. Surprisingly many of Blackwatch were loyal to him, and they followed his orders instead of Randall's. It was already starting to grow into a massive headache, had started doing so back when Greene died. But now? The once efficient war machine that was Blackwatch was _falling apart_.

Hell, _Battery Park_ was being overrun. Maybe the Infected tried to take revenge for MOTHER's death, and being unable to deal with Mercer, they started pushing in to try and take Blackwatch.

The Wisemen had been commissioned to work as Randall's security, but it became too dangerous for them in the wide-open park area. They had to pull back and get into the smaller bases for better defense. But the military had completely lost their head- it was _chaos_ in their ranks and nobody had any clue what was going on with those guys at the other end of Manhattan. Cross grit his teeth, fearing it might have actually been _his_ fault, because he had fed Mercer bits and pieces of things he craved to build a foundation of trust- but he might be too late. He had told him that shit was going to hit the fan in the future, but he hadn't realized just _how large_ the spray zone was.

“What's the situation?!” Randall barked, his voice carrying over to them even over the roar of the Blackhawk engine behind them. A Walker managed to vault over the fence, but Santos and Anders picked it off before it could go two steps.

“Colonel Taggart has ordered a general retreat!”, Estoban replied, being the one closest to the general _and_ having been on those teams closest to the Marine colonel before being transferred back to the Wisemen.

Randall grabbed his arm. “I gave no such command!” He snapped, then waved the remains of his other arm. “Get me a ra-” Cross cut him off by grabbing the stump and pulling him off the man. “Get onboard, Sir!” He barked, pulling his superior slightly towards the chopper.

Randall couldn't die here- he had to disappear for the sake of Blackwatch, but he couldn't die here in the thick of battle. The General glared at him and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. “I'm moving Blackwatch Command to the Reagan and take her out to sea!” He yelled over the howl of the helicopter's rotor. “Find Taggart!”, he ordered, “And bring him to me!”

A new mission, and easily a lot more important than what he had done before. General retreat meant that the mission was a failure, and Blackwatch only had one way in dealing with failures- they burnt them. Cross nodded sharply and Randall backed off, climbing into the chopper. “I can only give you four hours!” He barked, “Then it is out of my hands!”

“Sir!”

The helicopter took off and Cross whipped around, dragging his stun baton over the ground as a Hunter lunged over the fence and landed in front of him, snarling. It dove at him the next moment, and he nimbly dodged, slamming his baton deep into the thing's throat to stop it. Four hours. He only had four hours to end all of this. Finding Taggart was going to be downright _impossible_ in this short time- so they had to make it count.

Good thing he had a specialist on his hand.

The Walkers were cleared out quickly enough- most of them didn't even manage to bash down the fence and were subsequently blown to bits when the Wisemen emptied their magazines on them. Battery Park was empty.

“Team!” Cross snapped. “Move out to AT&T Long Distance, I'll meet you there.”

“Sir?” Jackson questioned. “The AT&T? It's over in Tribeca-”

“I know where it is”, he cut the man off, “Just _go_. I need to check some things out. Then we can worry about getting Taggart.”

“Yes, sir!” He marched off, grabbing his modified phone while at it. Mercer picked up almost immediately. “Blackwatch and the Marines are thrown into Chaos”, he just informed him. “Time is short.”

“ _I noticed”,_ was the answer _“Taggart is contradicting with what Randall wants.”_

“That is why we have to be quick. Pier Forty. You'll find what you're looking for there.” He cut the connection and picked up his pace, jogging towards a military humvee that had been forgotten in the chaos. He got behind the wheel, heading towards the nearby pier. There wasn't much time left- and he needed to get it done before Randall lost all control.

When he approached the payphone he had prepared back before he told Mercer to take out the Bloodtox pumps, he noticed the Runner was already present. Just as he moved to pick up the phone, Cross spoke. “I thought it was time we talked.”

Mercer whipped around, expression startled for the brief moment it took him to realize just who he was. Then his body tensed and he bared his teeth, clenching his fists.

Cross wasn't easily scared, but he knew if that guy reacted poorly, there wasn't much he could do. So he lifted his hand, showing his empty palm. “You don't want to do that.” Then he showed him the phone in his other hand and just hit the call button. The other rang in answer.

 


	28. Two Tickets

 

 It took Alex exactly 3.4 seconds to connect all the dots. His inside contact used those burner phones to talk to him. His inside contact had information only Blackwatch could get. Cross was Blackwatch. Cross had the phone number from his contact.

Cross was his inside contact.

Unless this was some form of elaborate trap and Cross had found and eradicated the _real_ contact, then the man across from him had supplied him with every information he needed to take out Greene, the Bloodtox facility and McMullen.

Alex cocked his head, glaring at the other man. It made sense, in a way? Amongst Blackwatch and even the Marines Cross was known for being a smart bastard, and he had the reputation to always question his superiors. If he wasn't so _good_ at what he did, then they would have shot him for insubordination long ago.

And besides, there was nothing the man could do to him- questionable whether he _wanted_ to. Because he had led him directly to several high-ranking men, had disrupted his own leaders' work and made himself guilty of treason of the worst kind by working with him. Because he _wanted_ to do this- because he knew no other way out.

That made the Captain his ally.

“I've done your job for you”, Alex scoffed, shoulders losing their aggressive stance. “I've broken the back of the Infection.”

“You've done _Blackwatch's_ job, not mine”, Cross pointed out. “Capturing you had been my mission.”

“Yet you don't assault me.”

“No”, the Specialist crossed his arms. “Because it won't matter in a few hours anymore. Then this place will be _glass_.”

Icy fear pooled in Alex's stomach when he thought of _Firebreak_ . Nonono. “Randall- he can't be crazy enough to nuke Manhattan”, he grit out in clipped words, each of them just _bleeding_ denial.

“You're wrong”, Cross's cold tone was sobering- and just made him unbelievable _angry_. Every word the Captain said only drove another white-hot nail through his skull and increased his urge to _kill_ the General. “He was at Hope in '69. He'll do anything to stop the Infection.” His eyes narrowed and there was a glint of cold fury in them. “If you help me stop him, you'll get your secrets.”

At least he now knew where the man's priorities were.

“Battery Park, yes?” Alex questioned, fingers twitching, yearning to form claws.

Cross shook his head. “He just booked it”, he explained. “He's on the _Reagan_.”

Alex glanced at the behemoth on the water. “There's no way to get to that ship without being blown out of the sky.” Though he could probably _swim_ and get over that way- but then he thought of the cold and dark and didn't want to anymore.

“I have a way”, Cross cut in with a casual shrug. “You are no longer my mission- Randall sent me to get a Colonel named Taggart. Sound familiar?”

“The Marine leader”, Alex growled. “Guy's getting cold feet, though.”

“Exactly. He's gonna make a run for it. If you don't stop him, he'll muscle his way out of Manhattan- but he's the key to the Reagan.”

“He has helicopters-” Alex began, and Cross nodded. “Yes, a fleet of them.” He pulled out a map from one of his pockets and quickly circled a few areas on them. “He has choppers all over these places”, he told him. “Get to them and take them out. Don't let any of them intact.” The Captain paused, expression darkening. “Once his air power is crippled, he's going to make a run on the ground, and he has rogue Blackwatch units at his disposal. They're going to build up roadblocks between his base at Little Italy and the Brooklyn Bridge- it's under his supervision and that means he's going to try and push through there. He gets out of Manhattan, and our ticket to the Reagan will be gone.”

“He won't get out”, Alex growled darkly, tendrils rushing over his form.

“Good. Destroy his base, force him out of his hole, keep the pressure up. He tries to make a run for it- consume him. You have a little over three and a half hours.”

Alex cocked his head, glancing at the Captain. He was being _honest_ , as far as he could tell. And he had helped him defeat Greene, after all. “What about you?” He demanded to know. He _needed_ to know.

“You chasing after Taggart will not go unnoticed”, Cross replied. “I make sure Randall won't hear of it, to make sure the plan's still valid. When you are finished, meet me at the AT&T Long Distance. It's-”

“Walker and Church Street.”

“Go”

Alex pounced off the ground and headed back into the city. Cripple Taggart's aircrafts and hunt him down. Sounded easy enough.

* * *

 

The closest area Cross had marked was Pier fifty-seven. Alex had reached it within moments after leaving the Captain. However, he didn't have any time trying to check up on the area. He needed to be _fast_ . _If Taggart gets access to any of these helicopters, he can get out any time he wants. I can fix that._

So he just barreled right into the secure area, Shield in front of his body for defense. Alarmed shouts of 'ZEUS has arrived' rang up from all over the area. “Get the birds off the ground!” He dove for the closest helicopter, arms twisting into his massive Hammerfists. He brought them down with all might and just flattened the first chopper. The second was idling on a roof across the street. Alex pounced over and slammed his shoulder hard enough into the vehicle to send it tumbling off the side and to the ground.

“Get it!” Someone shouted, and a grenade exploded on the roof just inches away from him. Alex growled at the guys down there, but he couldn't waste time taking them out. He just jumped off the roof and headed for the remaining two helicopters. One was already off the ground, the other still trying to lift off.

Alex went for the grounded one first, arm flattening into his Blade as he thrust his body downwards like an ax. He utterly demolished the aircraft, then immediately bounced off the roof and headed upwards, Blade melting and turning into his Whipfist. He latched onto the airborne helicopter and reeled himself in, free hand digging deep into the metal. Without so much as a thought, he yanked the door out, grabbed the pilot and threw him out like trash. The other guy booked it, jumping out. If he landed on a roof he might survive, though Alex didn't care.

He took control of the Blackhawk and swung it around, scanning the area as he pulled the machine up to get out of the rocket launcher's reach. _Site one clear_ echoed inside his head in the drawl of hundreds of soldiers. So many voices inside his head, all drowning each other out, but for the moment they made him only angrier.

All of the men he had fought and consumed until now- they had faced him without fear, had fought him and the Infection to protect the people. No matter what Blackwatch's bosses were doing, their men had believed they were doing the _right_ thing to end the Infection. Alex's and their goals technically were the same, and any other time they would have been allies, maybe. And even if they saw him as enemy, Alex could no longer bring himself to do the same. They were dangerous, yes- but they were only doing their _job_ . And as long they weren't in his way, he could leave them right alone. It was risky and hypocritical, really, because 'in the way' also meant pilots just at the wrong place. He just couldn't risk leaving them alive though, because they might disturb his mission. No matter what he thought about it, what his _human_ side told him- his work was way more important than theirs.

But at least, all of the men fought for the greater good, tried to keep everything under control. And then there was Taggart- who was going to abandon all of this, was going to abandon his _men_ and save himself. Taggart, who was going to break the quarantine and allow the virus to spread to the continent.

He was a coward, a traitor to his own believes, and it made Alex angry. He was going to find this bastard, and he was going to make him and every single one who thought they could stop him pay.

And then Randall.

He pulled the helicopter down over the second site, Penn Station, and just flicked the trigger. Unguided missiles hissed through the air and impacted into the helicopters on the ground to destroy them. At the same time, he also took care to aim at the guards near the vehicles. Men and women who were following orders without questioning why.

They were targets to his rage, not to be left alive if he could help it. As was the Colonel himself. So many lives, all lost because they had chosen wrong. _Damn you for making me do this._

He growled enraged and pulled the Blackhawk up, circling the Penn Station and firing the bottom-mounted machine gun to pick off more men and another chopper on the ground. Two more were already in the air, but their pilots were simply too slow to actually do something before their aircrafts were blown out of the sky. One group left.

Alex grit his teeth and clutched the controls harder, as if he could make the helicopter go faster just through the sheer force of his will alone. However, he did miss the men on the tall building next to his current position.

The proximity alert started squealing. Alex just managed to pull to the side to avoid a full collision, but his helicopter still exploded in a violent ball of fire. He just sighed deeply as he was flung through the air from the force of the shockwave, corrected his position and headed for the fucker that was holding the missile launcher.

He crushed him beneath his weight, grabbed the spent weapon and threw it at another guy with enough force to impale him. One location left, a bit further to the south. He had to hurry to get to them before they took off, though, so he didn't really have time taking care of the soldiers around. It pained Alex that they could warn Taggart if he didn't pick them off in time. But there were only three hours or so left, and he had to make sure the other helicopters wouldn't get away. And maybe leaving Taggart with a warning was actually helpful to his agenda- scared people made mistakes. And he needed the bastard _scared_. He should know what he had fucked up before he would meet his untimely and messy end.

Alex was basically a blur as he rushed across the buildings, shattering glass, steel and concrete beneath his feet like it was cheap china. His muscles coiled together, and when he reached the edge of the roof, he catapulted himself straight skywards. His eyes widened when he noticed the helicopters in the air. Five of them this time, and already spread over the district.

“Fuck”

He caught sight of two of them being quite close to each other, plan already formed. He instantly shot out his Whipfist and hit home, talons burrowing deep into the metal of the Blackhawk. Alex grit his teeth and angled his body, giving off a powerful burst of air to shoot himself downwards. At the same time, his whip-like arm was stretched taut, so when it finally snapped into its total length, he used the momentum from his own weight to swing himself to the front, overbalancing the helicopter. He wrenched his claw free at the last moment and continued shooting upwards, while the aircraft behind him spiraled towards a roof and exploded upon contact.

His momentum was still going strong, so he collided with the second helicopter at full force, snapping off its rotor as it made contact with his tough surface.

_Oh God, yes._

An excited grin came to his face as he dropped down along with the vehicle, though he curled up and gave off another burst of air, gliding towards the third helicopter. He wouldn't be able to catch it, though, so his arms twisted and his entire body buffed up when he switched to the Musclemass, seconds before he hit another roof and instantly shot towards the air conditioner to tear it off. Without breaking his pace, he threw it at the third Blackhawk, hitting it with lethal precision.

Two left.

Number four was closest, while number five was already shooting towards the city limits at full tilt. Alex curled his body and pounced off the floor, Whipfist already lashing out again to latch onto the gunship. The pilot swore, audibly even through the closed hatch and over the roar of the engine when Alex reeled himself in and collided with the helicopter's side, then instantly scrambled towards the sliding door. He yanked it out easily and pushed inside, then leapt to the front where the two pilots were. The pilot had whipped around, tried to take him down with a handgun, while the gunner looked pale even beneath his mask.

Alex killed both of them with a single flick of his Whipfist, then took control of the machine within one heartbeat.

“ _Shit! ZEUS just hijacked Flight Seven!”_ He snorted and pushed the controls down, making the chopper lurch to the front as he chased after the remaining Blackhawk.

He could hear the men swear over the radio, and relished in the chaos he caused. Taggart would know it too, and that was exactly what Alex wanted. Hopefully Cross would keep his word about cutting all communication to the _Reagan_ for the next few hours. Randall couldn't know what they were up to.

If not, then he was going to kill him along with everybody else.

He had caught up with the other helicopter by now and just fired both missile launchers, peppering the street far below, the buildings on either side and the Blackhawk with deadly explosives. As the chopper exploded in a ball of fire, Alex pulled up and circled around the block, listening to the enraged swears on his radio.

_No aircraft, no personnel, no survivors._ His eyes narrowed as he pushed the stick down and the Blackhawk lurched towards Little Italy. _I'm coming for you, Taggart._

* * *

 

The base was in uproar. With Alex having destroyed the helicopters, Taggart could no longer flee through the air. Instead, he tried to hide behind his armies.

The military base resembled more the Bloodtox facility in terms of defenses. Luckily, there were no Bloodtox pumps and most of the turrets were just in the process of being installed. But there were still several tanks, D-Codes and soldiers with heavy weapons around. Alex grit his teeth together. _Time to end this._

He pushed the helicopter down and swooped in with the setting sun at his back, firing every last missile he had in the progress and devastating most of the tanks stationed nearby. Half the total defense gone within the blink of an eye.

Panic erupted in the compound below, but more than a few of the missile-launcher toting Blackwatch idiots got their thoughts together entirely too fast and swung around to fire their weapons. The alert was blaring into Alex's ears, and he watched how several Javelins roared towards him at the same time. He couldn't dodge them, not with this Blackhawk and not at this distance.

_Screw this._

His Armor encased his body and he instantly pushed off the seat and out of the door as the first missiles impacted into the aircraft and blew it up. The force of the explosion catapulted him out and turned the helicopter into a white-hot ball of fire, but its speed and momentum were too large for the shock to actually deter it from its suicidal course towards the main building.

As it crashed into the lower side of the building in a cacophony of shattering steel and breaking concrete, the inferno that was its gas tank finally ruptured in a wordless roar of superheated air and all-consuming flames. Flames that exploded outwards so fast and so hot, they affected three of the supply trucks and took them with them, along with more than one dozen men.

At the same time, Alex crashed into the floor in a crouch, his shell being only slightly singed as he rose to his full height. He stomped one foot down and shifted his voice box and lungs for maximum volume as he simply roared out. **“TAGGART!!”**

Several of the remaining men cringed back, and even the D-Codes reeled slightly. More than enough to avoid them. Fighting them would only delay him. With a snarl, Alex curled the muscles beneath his Armor and let them go a few seconds later, shooting upwards to slam hard into the roof of the base. At the same time, he increased his internal pressure, Biomass rubbing together in hot frantic coils that quickly became all too painful. His temperature jumped up by several degrees, high enough that he could feel his outside sizzle from his own output.

But, unlike every time before, the pain only made him _mad_ . He was doing this to take down Taggart, the coward that was going to abandon the entire quarantine, was going to break it and allow it to go free- and he was doing so by _sacrificing_ all of his men. Alex slammed both fists into the roof of the building, roaring enraged. **“DIG IN! LIKE IT'S GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!”**

He let go of the pressure and Biomass exploded into the command center like a cannon blast, eating away concrete and steel and personnel like they weren't even present. Alex knew it was risky as the black spears shot out from the building's base and around him, impaling at least one of the D-Codes who thought he could sneak up on him. Attacking the base like that might kill Taggart- but he was certain that Taggart was going to be spared. The colonel was going to be close to the ground levels, near the vehicle pool on the inside, since he wanted to escape the city.

And sure enough, there was a sudden hot explosion that blew apart the remains of the building and most of the Biomass he planted inside the building, when a Thermobaric Tank tore out of the garage and howled down the street. _Taggart!_ There was no question about it. Cowards were cowards, and Taggart was the biggest of them. He tried to flee, tried to escape in the heaviest piece of machinery Blackwatch had to offer.

Alex yanked himself free, feeling slightly dizzy from the loss of Biomass, though another surge of rage rushed through him. **“KEEP RUNNING, YOU BASTARD!!”**

He set after the tank. Even though his Armor slowed him down greatly, the extra shielding was going to protect him well, and he could still catch up. And right now, he couldn't afford being _weak_ . He needed Taggart _terrified_ and running.

He briefly abandoned his chase to grab a stunned Blackwatch soldier off the floor, crush his skull to consume him before immediately hunting after the escaping tank again. His armored feet caused deep potholes in the already devastated street, and whatever car was in his way he easily smashed aside. Despite the driver's best attempt to shake him, Alex easily caught up with the Thermobaric Tank and jumped up, feet slamming hard into the re-inforced metal shell with a resounding _clang_ . His claws were formed in an instant and he dug the sleek metal under the hatch's lid and started to _pry_ , snarling.

A white-hot explosion hit him and threw him off, where he hit the street in a roll. He whirled around, witnessing three tanks and two D-Codes, backed up by several men, approach their position. One talon melted away and was replaced for the Blade as Alex lunged at the closest tank. The metal edge whistled downwards as he shred the vehicle easily, roaring. **“NOTHING WILL PROTECT YOU FROM ME!”**

He jumped into the group of men where he slammed his arms into the floor to utterly _splatter_ them through the sheer force of the shockwave alone. **“NOT MEN!”** He whipped around and sliced his weapon in a wide arc, beheading one Supersoldier before he even managed to block, and injuring the second. **“NOT WEAPONS!”** He lunged at the other tank with the Hammerfists ready, rage driving them down to flatten the vehicle. **“NOT ARMOR!”**

He finished the last tank by picking it up and just _throwing_ it at the second D-Code, where it hit the floor and slid a bit, lying on its back like a turtle. **“TAGGART!”**

No D-Code left to try and stop him for now. Not that it mattered- Men, women, Supersoldiers- all of them were just obstacles he had to overcome. He just wasted enough time to grab a few who survived his initial attack to consume, before he headed towards a roof and continued chasing after the tank. On the street, he was going to be an easy target for whatever escort the man had. While his shell managed to withstand an Abrams' main cannon even at point-blank range, he would lose valuable time. At the same time, however, he had to take them out to prevent them from getting in his way to Taggart. But for this, he needed _height_.

Another Abrams joined Taggart's Thermobaric Tank, and Alex immediately kicked off the roof he was on, Hammerfists lifted high over his head for the brief moment he was suspended in mid-air. Then he came crushing down like a meteor, and the tank beneath stopped existing. Alex immediately leapt at Taggart's vehicle, but was intercepted by a D-Code who just materialized out of nowhere. The giant took a secure hold of Alex's body, then flipped him around and just slammed him into the ground. He snarled and instantly dug one hand into the floor, planting a cluster of Groundspikes just beneath the guy, killing him instantly.

“ **NOTHING CAN PROTECT YOU FROM ME!”** He bellowed, seconds before he rocketed back off the floor to the rooftops, to barely avoid the depleted uranium shell from Taggart's tank. He didn't know whether the crew inside actually had more thermobaric shells with them, and he didn't want to find out. Two and a half hour left at most, and he couldn't risk wasting any more time by being reckless. He had to stop Taggart, consume him, and get back to Cross.

The driver must have floored the pedal, because the tank was shooting down the street as fast as the heavy armor allowed it to go. Alex snarled and tried to go _faster_ , because he was falling behind. Rooftops were only great if one had the mobility required to maneuver them, but his Armor was too stiff, too heavy and too unyielding to allow him the agility needed.

At the same time, however, he couldn't risk pulling it back he realized when several incendiary bullets impacted into his hardened shell. Taggart's men were all around, trying to stop him, so he had to keep his defenses up to prevent having to regenerate vital parts of his body and fall behind.

Alex grit his teeth, eyes narrowing behind his face plate. He was still _too_ slow- and jumping across the rooftops didn't do him any favors either. He swore under his breath, keeping the tank nearby under close supervision as his shell started to shiver. Having originally been a defensive measurement to prevent things like the parasite from ever happening again, the Armor had never been developed like Alex's other transformations had. It was a tough shell, and perfectly suited to protect him- but it could be _better_.

A tank shell exploded just beneath him, taking out the foothold he had and forced him to jump over to the building at the opposite side. He barely made it, Armor hampering his movements, so he instantly set to shift the area around his joints. Back and neck he reinforced, but hips, shoulders and knees he had to change, remove the chitin plates there and replace them for flexible skin and overlapping plates to avoid having weak points.

When he jumped back across the street, he got the the other side much easier, and managed to pick up his speed too. He burst to the front, grabbed an air conditioner, and threw it at Taggart's tank, howling **“YOU WON'T ESCAPE!”** at it.

Something collided with him with immense strength, sending him stumbling several steps across the roof until he caught himself and whirled to glare at his attacker.

A D-Code, whether from the base itself or the first roadblock, he couldn't tell. But the guy wasn't too happy with him as he lunged into his direction. Alex instantly jumped over the man's head, surprisingly quick despite his Armor.

Didn't deter the guy, though, because he managed to grab his wrist and yank him down, using his momentum against him as he slammed the smaller man into the rooftop. Alex snarled and twisted, feet shooting out to kick the giant off. The man stumbled back, but not enough to actually get him room to breathe. Instead, he stomped down hard on Alex's ribcage. His shell creaked in protest, then he _felt_ it harden in response to the trauma. When the D-Code stomped down a second time, the Armor barely gave in at all, allowing Alex to rip his arm up and shift it into the Blade at the same moment, impaling the giant's face to kill him. He was off the roof the next second, shooting skywards in his pursuit of Taggart.

The Thermobaric Tank was already awfully far down the road, and was moving towards another roadblock, so Alex snarled and sped up. He tore across the buildings faster than he did go before, so he easily overtook Taggart and went for the other vehicles. His Blade was still formed, so he simply shifted to the Musclemass to increase his strength and speed, and leapt off the roof.

He directed himself directly over the first tank and brought his Blade over his head, and flipped over to bring it down with all his might. The engine died instantly, and gas spilled to the floor from the ruptured insides. Someone fired a grenade at that moment, intending to hit Alex but only getting the gas instead. Now fluid gas was nearly impossible to set ablaze, but in combination with the incendiary projectile, the tank and everything around it turned into a massive ball of fire that swallowed up even Alex. He only gasped and instantly rocketed out of the inferno, Blade melting away to reform a second Musclemass-enhanced arm so he could just slam his knuckles together to kill the men with the shockwave alone.

A D-Code swung at him, Alex brought his forearm up to block the punch, then spun to the side to deliver a devastating kick into the man's hips. Enhanced as he was, he easily shattered the bone and sent the man tumbling to the ground. A tank shell impacted into his back, throwing him slightly off balance for a brief moment. His shell creaked a bit in protest, but swallowed the shock all the same. Alex was already moving again, Musclemass melting to the Hammerfists to flatten the vehicle. Then he whipped back into position and swiftly ran his Blade through another Supersoldier's chest, just in time to witness Taggart's tank rush past them.

Alex snorted and lifted the body high over his head, roaring at the Colonel. **“NOT EVEN YOUR BEST MEN CAN STOP ME!!”**

He flung the body to the side like trash and slammed both freshly-formed Claws into the ground, creating several clusters of Groundspikes to devastate the remaining men and vehicles. No opposition left, and Taggart was on his way towards the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance. **“TAGGART! YOU SUICIDAL MORON!!”**

He set after the tank, tearing open the ground as he moved. The Thermobaric Tank lurched, then the turret swung into his direction, firing at him. Alex managed to get off the ground and into a higher position just in time to avoid the extremely hot ball of fire that turned several cars and great parts of the street to ashes.

But the smoke would hide him well. He kicked off the air and catapulted himself downwards, colliding with the tank with enough force to send it sliding across the street actually. His talons dug into the metal sheets as he pulled himself towards the hatch, sinking his Claws beneath the lid. He strained once, and yanked the metal out like it was made of wet paper, then dropped inside the tank with a loud snarl. He pushed to the front, slamming hard into the first of the guards to turn him into fine mist as his talons closed around Taggart's throat. The remaining five crewmen inside the tank were yelling- only to be cut off with a bloody gargle when Alex's body exploded into dozens of long tentacles that impaled the men from every angle possible, then tore them apart and dragged their Biomass inside his body as he pulled back the Armor shielding his face to lock eyes with Taggart. He wanted him to _see_ his fury.

His lips twitched into a cruel smile when he noticed the terrified staccato of the Colonel's heart beneath his shell. He leaned to the front, only inches away from the man's face. “And then there was one.”

* * *

 

He knew he had to hurry. His assault on Taggart could not have gone by unnoticed. There were too many loose ends, too many witnesses talking- and he didn't trust Cross with managing to keep all of it silent. If he even did so.

Still, he headed back to the AT&T Long Distance Building. Because he needed to _know_ . He had to know. Curiosity was clawing at him, and even if he was walking into a trap, then at least he would _know_.

This urge hadn't stopped him from taking a little time to experiment with his new Armor, though. The most obvious change were the overlapping plates along his joints that still offered adequate protection while allowing him a wider range of movement, unlike the previous version that was more or less stiff and cut off most of his agility. The armor around his chest and neck had become thicker, he found several ridges along his body (possibly to disperse the energy) and his overall coloration was darker- but the material felt a lot lighter. He had tested it, had carefully clawed across the surface, then threw himself off the tallest building he could find to see how it reacted.

It was different to his old Armor. A lot different. He had felt the impact, but then he had felt the shockwave being distributed throughout his body, affecting a much larger area with a lot less power. Should be handy, since hard punches like Hunters threw managed to get through his shell. Plus the lighter weight it now had allowed him to go faster. It was an improvement over the original form, and he couldn't wait to test it against Infected enemies.

But that was something he could worry about later on. There wasn't much time left, maybe two hours or less- he had to meet up with Cross to finalize the plan and move to the _Reagan_ . He already figured that the Captain would need him to transform into Taggart to get on board. _What if it is a trap?_

If it was a trap, then Alex was going to find a way to destroy Randall, Cross, and everybody else who played him. He had been betrayed once- and he wasn't going to allow this ever happening again.

He was willing to give the man a chance, however. After all, despite knowing where Dana was, he hadn't attempted to harm her, he had helped him take down Greene and warned him of the new tech Blackwatch employed to take him out. Alex would keep his word and not harm the man, even when he could sense more than one person on the roof of the Long Distance Building as he drew closer.

It wasn't going to be a problem.

Alex snorted and headed up the building's facade, cracking the surface in the process. Even if there was an army waiting for him, even if this was a trap- he could take it. He always managed to survive. This wasn't going to stop him.

* * *

 

“Sir? With all respect, but what the Hell are we doing here?” Cross turned to glance at Fernandez, who had been the one to ask. But he could see that the others had wanted to know the same. It was entirely possible they pulled straws or something equally ridiculous to figure out just _who_ had to ask him.

“You'll see”, Cross replied easily, lifting his hand to quell any argument. “Taggart won't escape”, he explained. “And Randall won't nuke the city.”

“I'm not sure, Sir”, Santos threw in, clutching her rifle harder. “And the shit over the radio? Fuck, this place is going to Hell.”

“That is _exactly_ why we can't allow Randall to destroy the island. We have won, the Infection is without a leader- and he's just throwing the damn towel?”

“Taggart had fucked everything over”, Anders muttered from the jammer they had set up to prevent any communication to connect with Red Crown. “Coward ruined everything.”

“He's trying to escape.”

“And we're going to chase after him?” MacAlistair asked, glancing up from checking the systems on his Blackhawk. “Maggie and I will hunt that bastard down?”

Cross's lips twitched slightly upwards. “No”, he said with a little smirk. “We're going to let him come to us.”

“How?”

The Specialist snorted when he noticed a single figure moving entirely _too fast_ across rooftops a few blocks away, and turned around. “Gentlemen”, he glanced at Santos. “Lady”

His team stood at attention immediately when he crossed his arms behind his back. “I am going to commit high treason”, he said simply. “Whoever doesn't want to have anything to do with this entire screwed-up situation, is free to leave. If you don't, then you will be just as guilty as I am.”

The Wisemen looked at each other, then Redstone stepped to the front. “Sir, I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say- we're with you to the end.”

The building trembled slightly, and Cross cocked his head a little to the side. “Are you sure? Because this isn't just an _insubordination_.”

“Sir, this is our answer, and we'll stick to it.”

The shaking became obvious now, and a few of his Wisemen perked up, eyes narrowing at the regular crashs coming from the side of the Long Distance. Cross exhaled and straightened his shoulders. “Then there's no way back.”

The shaking stopped, and a massive shadow lunged over the rooftop's edge, hitting the gravel with a mighty _thud_.

“No way back”, Cross muttered again as he watched the Wisemen's eyes widen in terror. He didn't need to check to know what was going on, didn't need to see to know that the thing was just rising from the crouch he was in. He exhaled once, then turned around. “Mercer.”

* * *

 

It was almost funny to see the Wisemen's expressions shift from naked terror to rage to determination and then utter confusion. All of the weapons were aimed at him, though Cross made short work of it by barking a simple order. “Stand down!”

One of the guys (Estoban, memories whispered) was the first to talk. “Sir? What the-”

“I said stand down”, Cross told them. “That's an _order_ , soldier!”

The Captain had his attack dogs trained perfectly, it seemed, because the men lowered their weapons ever so slightly- but there was a mixture of confusion and betrayal on their faces. They were smart, Alex knew, and they must have figured out that something was off. But with _him_ in plain view, they just _knew_ that Cross couldn't be him in disguise.

The Specialist scoffed, inclining his head to glance at his crew from the corner of his eye. “I told you- High treason”, he said simply. The effect was instantaneous- the eight soldiers erupted into an uproar, and MacAlistair actually grabbed his superior's shoulder hard. “Sir, what the actual _fuck_?!”

Cross merely arched an eyebrow. “I told you you won't like it one bit.”

“What?!” Jackson now rounded up on the man, and Alex felt like he had ended up in the wrong movie. “This is fucking ZEUS, Cross!”, the man snapped, “This fucking thing _killed_ Derrick, Amanda and David! That fucking thing killed my _brother_!”

“Then shoot me”, Alex cut in, making all of the present guys suddenly remember that he was actually there. The Wisemen whirled around, guns snapping into his direction, while he only inclined his head, eyes narrowing.

“See if it brings back your brother. See if it makes you feel any better. See whether I will feel actually _bad_ about what I've done.” He peeled his lips away from shining white teeth in a snarl. “I have killed so many of your guys. Innocent, Marines and Infected too. And I feel nothing but _rage_. Because Blackwatch had taken _everything_ from me. My family, my past, my identity, my _memories_. All I wanted is to find out who I was, what had happened to me. But you always came at me, tried to _kill_ me- and I didn't know _why_. So I fought you. I killed you to protect myself. I killed you to find my memories. I killed you because revenge was the only thing in my head, the only thought that was _mine_ , because everything else was just _gone_.”

He snorted once, and cut the men off before they could say a word. “I have done mistakes- but in the end, I didn't run. I faced them. I tried to correct what I fucked up.” Then his eyes flashed and the men actually backed off startled. “But you _stopped_ me again! You _used_ Karen to betray me. She sent me into that Hive, where you tried to kill me with that parasite! And after that- you stopped me from taking down that fucker that had _taken_ my family!”

His teeth were bared, but he was holding back. No use tearing these guys to shreds, no matter what he thought about it. He glared at them, before forcing his murderous urges back. “It won't make anything right. Not to you, though”, he added a bit more subdued, directing his attention at Jackson. “I know how it feels to lose your siblings, but it isn't an excuse.” The rage was still there, still simmering beneath the surface- but those men didn't deserve it. The rage was reserved for Randall.

“That was when I realized that something did not add up”, Cross piped in, cutting off his men's reply. “With this kind of rage and the abilities to do so, why are all of us still _alive_?” He shook his head with a frown. “Randall hadn't told us anything. Infected die when you blow their faces off. Mercer did not. Infected can not transform- not limbs into weapons or into whole different people. Mercer can. Infected are bent to the virus' will, an army of mindless drones single-mindedly attacking whoever is not infected. Mercer fights them, kills them- and usually reserves his violence for when we shoot first. And that made me think. What if Randall tried to _hide_ something from us? What could have been the reason? And where did MOTHER come from?”

“The files-” Hoffman suddenly noticed. The other Wisemen turned to him, suspicion and confusion on their expression. “The files you had me acquire. Something about Hope?”

“Hope, Idaho. Blackwatch's finest hour”, Cross replied. “Town gets infected by a virus, Blackwatch rolls in and wipes it out, saves the State. That's what they told us, that's what they say to justify our work, correct?”

He scoffed, and Alex noticed a flash of disgust on his face. “They _lied_ to us about that. Blackwatch had existed before that already, had experimented on the Carnival virus. They build the town, drafted in people- and infected them. Nothing happened at first, until the children had been born. After the last one died from the experiments, they thought everything was over and let down their guard. Then the virus suddenly rose up and turned Hope into Hell. And Randall had been there. Moreover, Randall had been the one to capture MOTHER- and hand her over to Gentek, to create a virus to target only specific racial types. Seeing as the work had started during the Vietnam War, I am pretty sure I know which racial type had been the intended target. But even after the war ended, they didn't stop it. Instead, they only continued their work, created _Blacklight_ . And Randall had known about all of this. He had _known_ what was going to happen if things went wrong. But he didn't stop it. He didn't end it. He's off his damn rocker. That was why I contacted Mercer, told him where to go and what to do. And within _days_ , the Infection's back was broken and MOTHER dead.”

“That's a load of bullshit”, Santos spat, jabbing her handgun into Alex's face. “This fucker admitted it killed our men- and you turn around and _work_ with it?!”

“It makes me fucking sick”, The Specialist replied with a bitter tone. “Because we shouldn't even _need_ this. We shouldn't need those D-Codes. We shouldn't need Mercer. If Randall had done his fucking job back in Idaho, all of us could be at home and not in a Hellhole. But we are here and the world around us is dying. Instead of pushing the Infection back like Blackwatch _should_ do, we scrabble about and fight for scraps. I was sick of seeing more of my people die. I have been at _Springfield_ , I lost all of my men there- and it was just a test seeing whether I was _suited_ for this job. Manhattan is just another test, just another experiment. So you can be damn sure this is serious.”

“Randall needs to be stopped before things turn even more ugly than they already did”, Alex pointed out. “The parasite you used in an attempt to stop me? It grew sentient and tried to kill me along with several of your men. It took an ernormous amount of firepower to destroy it. It took an even _greater_ amount of firepower and manpower taking down Greene- but compared to what is coming, this was a walk in the park. Operation _Firebreak_ is looming over the city. The last resort- if Randall loses control, he will _nuke_ Manhattan and everybody in it. He doesn't want to accept that the virus can be stopped, that the virus is already stopped- it's just a question of time before it's wiped out.”

The Wisemen seemed to be startled, and Alex could see their faces shift quickly between a multitude of emotions, mostly betrayal and _rage_ , though he could see fear, loathing, determination and several others amongst them. MacAlistair in special was looking lost, glancing between Alex and Cross. Eventually, he cleared his throat “What about Lamons?”

There was a pained grimace on the Captain's face. “I sent Mercer to him to have him killed”, he admitted. “I was the one to pull the trigger. And it wasn't just Lamons- it were several others, including our entire Bloodtox facility at Harlem.” He exhaled coldly, and for a moment, he looked tired. “I am responsible for those deaths. I deeply regret what had happened, what I had done to earn Mercer's trust, and I will accept whatever comes after this- but there is still so much left to do. We need to stop Randall to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.”

“And Randall's still keeping secrets. Secrets that will hurt whoever's behind Blackwatch”, Alex claimed. He jabbed a thumb into Cross's direction. “Your Captain offered me a chance to end all of this. I took it.” He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “I am willing to play along for as long as needed. And after this- after Manhattan is secure-”, He exhaled coldly. “As long you promise to leave my sister out of it and completely end your bioweapon researches, I might even come along quietly. That way, you'd always had someone who can take out Infections more efficient than you can and you'd always keep tabs on me.” Because there was no future for him, he wasn't human, never had been. He didn't have any right to exist in this world- and even though he didn't want to die or lose his freedom, he was well aware of how dangerous he was. Maybe he was going to go into Blackwatch's custody once everything was said and done. Maybe he would escape and wander the world. He wasn't sure yet.

The Wisemen glanced at each other, until it was Hoffman that broke the silence. “Fuck it!” He spat. “I've done some seriously questionable things in my life, but this takes the fucking top!” He groaned, dragging his palm over his face. “Ah, okay. I'm in.”

“Martin!” Santos bit out. “You can't really think about working with this...this _thing_!”

“This isn't about what we want”, Estoban threw in. “Because the Captain's right. We have failed to stop the Infection, and with our own bosses lying to us about where this stuff is from- I say it's time to show him we won't tolerate shit like that.”

“Fuck this”, Jackson growled, “You sure this is legit?”

“Very legit”, Cross commented. “Blackwatch had been founded by DARPA to develop biological weapons. Redlight wasn't natural. And old dogs don't learn new tricks. Blackwatch might have a new wrapping, but inside we are still producing weapons instead of dispatching them. But this might be our chance to change something.”

The man fell silent, glanced at Alex, before back to his superior. “I'm in. Under one condition: Once everything is said and done, I call dibs on killing the shit out of ZEUS should it ever pipe up again.”

“Deal”, Cross cut in before Alex could say anything. He swallowed whatever he was going to say and just shrugged. Blood for blood, as long that bastard didn't attempt to hurt _Dana_ , it was only fair.

“We need the files once everything is over”, Fernandez mentioned. “Or I swear to God, Cross, I'll shoot you myself.”

“Fair enough”, the Captain shrugged and glanced one last time at his team before turning to Alex. “I think it is obvious- we're all in. We either die traitors, or we survive and nobody learns of this. There's no way back now. Do you think you're ready?”

“I was made for this.”

Cross nodded and tapped his radio. “Citadel Command, this is Captain Cross. Mission accomplished. I have Colonel Taggart in custody. Ready for extraction.”

 


	29. One Thousand Suns

 

Alex had been on thousand chopper rides. So many of the men he had consumed had memories of awkward or anxious flights, of bumpy or downright boring times. No memory he had- either stolen or his own- was as tense as the ride to the  _Reagan_ was now. 

Alex was wedged between Jackson and Redstone- or as wedged as it was possible without either man actually  _touching_ him. Estoban and Fernandez sat on either side of them, filling the seat completely. All four of them were incredibly tense, jaws set and veins nearly popping out. Cross was directly opposite of Alex, face stone-like and blank; with Hoffman and Anders next to him. The latter two were watching warily, a little curiously maybe, but equally tense (though not as tense as the guys being in the immediate kill-zone). MacAlistair and Santos were to the front, guiding the Blackhawk (which Alistair had actually named; Maggie, after his grandmother) towards the looming shadow of the aircraft carrier in the middle of the bay.

“Everybody's up to date on how we proceed?” Cross's voice cut like a knife in the monotone roar of the engine above. It's an empty question, Alex knew. The man had briefed them all on how things were going to go. Still, Santos felt obliged to reply. “Basically it's shut the fuck up, don't say a word, and let ZEUS do its job.” She scoffed. “And with 'job' you meant let it kill and fucking _eat_ Randall, then make sure the city doesn't blow.”

“That's what he demanded for a price”, Cross mentioned. “And for preventing shit like this from happening ever again _and_ saving a city from being glassed into oblivion, that's dirt cheap.” 

“We're approaching Citadel Command”, MacAlistair mentioned, cutting all dialog short. Cross nodded and leaned back. “Alright. Let's get this show on the road.”

Alex turned in his seat, glancing at Jackson. He then thrust both hands to the front, fists curled and wrists locked together. The man flinched back, hand flying to the handgun at his side. The Runner cocked his head.

“You can't march Taggart in without making sure he can't escape”, he pointed out. Jackson blinked, quickly understanding, and fished a zip-tie from his pocket to lock Alex's wrists together. It was pretty tight, and humans would probably find it highly unpleasant, though to him it wasn't too problematic. He could rip tank turrets off if he needed to- a bit of plastic wasn't going to stop him. He tested the bonds with a nod, then got up and stepped a few steps into the cargo area, erupting into thousands of tendrils once he had some distance. The Wisemen flinched back, swearing, but as fast as they've come the tentacles disappeared again. He could hear the murmur amongst the men, and even Cross was looking slightly disturbed. “Let's get this show on the road”, Alex grinned, expression and voice completely _alien_ on Taggart's face.

The Blackhawk touched down on the deck, and Alistair shut the engine down. The Wisemen all moved towards the sliding door as the helicopter was lowered into the belly of the carrier, and Cross moved to grab Alex's collar. (He noticed he was the only one willingly going inside his personal bubble) “Wipe that grin off your face”, he hissed lowly, “Dinner's not served  _yet_ .”

Alex snorted, and pulled up a defeated expression, like a mask. Shoulders dropping and hanging his head. Just a little while longer...then everything would be done. And after that- he wasn't sure. Maybe he was just going to give everything up and have Blackwatch take him in, as long it would keep Dana safe. Dana- who was unconscious and defenseless on the island Randall wanted to destroy.

The Wisemen crowded around them, but still gave them enough room for whatever was going to happen. They were just side characters, nobody important- Alex and Cross were the current stars of the show.

Randall was moving towards them as the elevator sank into floor in front of him. The old grizzled man was looking even more sour than he usually did as he stopped in front of them. He glanced hatefully at Alex, then to Cross. “Report?”

Cross's back straightened slightly. “Taggart's order lead directly to the collapse of the central Blue Zone”, he declared. Randall rolled his eyes, pulled out his gun- and just fired a single shot into Alex's right eye. His body went limp as he dropped back, fighting the urge to  _heal_ . Damnit, guy didn't fuck about. Large projectile, hollow-point too. Had torn a real  _hole_ through his head, blinding him partially. The remaining eye was working perfectly though, so he watched somewhat amused at the startled faces of the Wisemen. He could tell Cross's expression hadn't changed at all. He heard Randall's low scoff, before the man shifted and turned to the team. “Welcome home. Operation  _Red Light_ is over.” He made a motion and walked off, the Wisemen drawing after him. Alex struggled to keep the chuckles from escaping his throat, waited another moment- and slowly sat up to trail after them, ripping the zip-tie in the process. He shifted the base of his feet to avoid making  _any_ noise, but didn't change back at the moment. He could  _feel_ the terror of the Wisemen as he carefully snuck behind them. They knew it was a massive mistake to keep their backs to him, but they couldn't do anything against it, lest they wanted to alert Randall to his presence there.

The group stopped in Bay One, in front of a cart that was loaded with a massive nuclear warhead. Alex's heart stopped- because the countdown was already running.

And it sent a surge of  _rage_ through him. Randall had never intended to  _not_ use it on Manhattan. These four hours he'd given Cross was a mere lip service. He could  _hear_ it on the sharp intake of breaths from the Wisemen- they were thinking the  _same_ .

“What about our men?” Cross asked with a hint of anger in his voice. “Those on the ground in Manhattan?”

The General glared at him. “You didn't think I was this naive, did you?” And there was something  _dark_ in his tone as he turned and pointed his gun at Cross's head. The Wisemen flinched, but their Captain just stared down the barrel of the weapon without a blink. “When you have a festering wound, you cauterize it.”  _A sacrificial lamb, a necessary cruelty._ “We'll be saving millions of American lives.” 

Alex snarled, unheard deep in his throat as the Wisemen parted and let him through. Cross's eyes left Randall's face and lock with his (or his one eye and the hole in his head he could probably see Alistair through), and the General realized that something was off. He turned around, eyes widening when he noticed the man he shot standing just behind him. Alex grit his teeth and shifted back into his default form the very next second. His hand shot to the front, and he seized the old man's throat, effortlessly lifting him up.

“I won't let you erase New York like you erased Hope”, Alex spat, eyes narrowing.

Randall struggled, trying to pry his hand off. “Let-” He hissed and picked up his voice. “Get this bastard!” He ordered.

Cross scoffed and stepped back, as did the Wisemen. Randall ceased his writhing and his eyes widened. “You-”, he grit out, “You-”

“Working with ZEUS”, Cross commented calmly. “Just business, Sir, but with all respect: I won't let you kill my men.” Alex snorted hatefully and flung the man to the ground, watching him squirm and try to prop himself back up with his remaining arm. He stepped to the front, looming over the man. “You were at Hope, Idaho”, he snarled, watching the General climb to his feet. “You took something from Elizabeth Greene.” He paused, head tilting downwards so his eyes remained in the shade of his hood. “I know what Blackwatch had done.” He circled the man, and the Wisemen stepped back, allowing him his space. “Because everyone I killed- they're in me. They _are_ me.”

The General's eyes narrowed in realization. “That's how you-” Alex's lips peeled away from his teeth as his feeding tendrils unfurled from his shoulders. No fooling around, no more time wasted- and he had to stop this countdown anyways. He lunged to the front and just grabbed the General, tentacles immediately ensnaring the body.

He simply  _pulled_ , ripped Randall apart with nothing more than a twitch of his shoulders and devoured whatever his tendrils managed to grab- the brain being the first thing he consumed in a spray of blood and gore. He did notice how the Wisemen cringed back with swears, but then the flood of memories washed over him.  
With most victims he usually just pushed the information he gathered to the back of his mind without really looking at them, but to some he paid more attention to- and those were what made his head hurt like mad when they settled into whatever mass the memories went.  _I stopped this damn thing before. Stopped it dead._

Lies. All lies. Randall hadn't stopped the Infection in Hope. He had gone in, a young upstart, and went directly for the head of the snake. Originally, he had wanted to end it all, but then he and his team had went into the hospital where the Walkers were hiding- and he sacrificed one man after the other to clear the way. Inside the maternity ward, where Greene was. And more- Greene was giving  _birth_ . In that moment, Randall had realized that this was  _the_ way to get the power he wanted. His superiors wanted to know what made this Runner so special, and if he gave them  _more_ than just the Runner, then he was going to be a made man. There was only one man left of his team, and he stood behind the door, guarding the room while he went on to steal the newborn away from the Runner. He held the little squirming and crying thing, grinning. This was what his superiors wanted, this is what they were looking for. And he could give it to them.

“Sir! Orders were to liquidate the entire population!” The last man yelled. “Shoot it!”

“No”, Randall replied, pulling his gun. “Because this is what we had been sent in for.” He shot the man, but the baby wailed loudly in his ears, and Greene suddenly lurched to the front, teeth sinking deeply into his forearm, forcing him to let the baby go and drop it on the bed. Randall swore, slammed his gun over her head to knock her unconscious. Infected- he got infected- A meat cleaver to the side caught his eye and without hesitation, he grabbed it and brought it down on his own arm, hacking it off without even blinking. 

No longer infected- he was  _clean_ . With a grunt, he ripped off his jacket and tied it around the heavily bleeding stump, then called for back-up. 

The baby was wailing, flailing its arms and staining the bed sheets further with blood and liquids. Randall snorted, turning to eye another team exploding into the room. “Mother and child are now military assets”, he declared, ignoring their fussing over his lost arm.  _And I just made General Officer_ .

Alex grunted when the pain and memories faded away, replaced for a bitter taste in his mouth. “You bastard”, he growled. “You could have stopped all of this. You let it happen.” Randall had been the one to pull the trigger. Randall had been the one to doom Manhattan- because he was greedy for power. He had  _known_ it, had realized it when he got up and walked out of Gentek- but he hadn't done  _anything_ to stop it back then. Millions would have been  _alive_ if he had destroyed Greene the very moment Alex had woken.

But he hadn't, because nobody was supposed to know. And in the end, he only tried to brush everything under the carpet and burn the rest.

“Shit, is it over?” Santos demanded to know. “Are we safe?”

“We aren't”, Alex replied with a growl, voice hoarse. “I can disarm the bomb, but I don't have much time left before it gets irreversible.” But as he turned, his back went ramrod straight when he heard a single loud voice. Inside the Hive Mind- that had been in _chaos_ before.

“ _You won't._ ”

He spun around, eyes widening and back bristling when a hand crushed his throat and he was bodily lifted off the ground. He had a moment to stare at the blank face of one of the Wisemen. The meek and otherwise hollow face of Martin Hoffman.

The man scoffed, and his voice roared inside Alex's head. “When the weapon detonates and they think the Infection is cleansed”, he declared and the Wisemen froze in terror. “Nobody will be looking for me.”

_Impossible-_ _**Impossible!** _

Hoffman's arm swiped to the side, smashing the Wisemen and Cross closest to him aside like flies, even as he continued holding Alex up like he weighed nothing. “And when I consume you”, the man continued, “I will be able to withstand even this.”

“Fuck!” Jackson bellowed, just as Cross scrambled back to his feet. Hoffman reeled his arm back and _threw_ Alex several yards backwards, where he slammed into the floor and came to a stop on top of another aircraft lift. He instantly struggled to his feet, as the Wisemen uttered startled yells and backed off, weapons ready.

When Hoffman started to shift.

Clothes vanished in a flurry of red tentacles, and muscles bulged under thick skin as the entire mass shifted and grew in size. The ground shook under a massive weight when mismatched feet stomped towards him. Alex's cold blue eyes locked with murky white ones when the Supreme Hunter stopped just on top of the elevator with a throaty snarl.

* * *

 

Pathetic. Fatherbrother was pathetic. So powerful, so much potential- all wasted. He  _hurt_ mother, killed her, killed all the siblings. Mother wanted him to be at her side, to be the one to bring unity and order to the world, because he wasn't as restricted as the other siblings were. Because he was still there and not taken like the oldest brother.

But he _rejected_ her, killed her, killed the order and unity. Because he viewed the prey- the _humans_ \- as _kin_. Kin! Fatherbrother imitated their faces, their bodies, their behavior without _needing_ to. He was so much more, could be so much more, and he still restricted himself to their shape. 

It watched, watched how he allied himself with his former enemy, let him order him around like an obedient slave. And he didn't even notice how he wasn't the only one who snuck in.

When they had fought, it had respected fatherbrother. He was so much stronger, had so much more power. Had he consumed it, he would have grown stronger; while it would have become part of him, part of the most powerful being in existence. Instead, he had rejected it, had let the humans destroy most of its body- and ran off looking for that human whelp, the human mother claimed was fatherbrother's weak point. He hadn't even bothered looking back.

And its respect vanished, replaced for loathing and hatred at the arrogance, at the neglect and ignorance. It had healed, had consumed the flesh of the Hive to return once the humans thought they were done with them- but it had only been instinct. But then it found one human, standing with his back to it, so it consumed him like fatherbrother did.

And it  _learnt_ . In an instant, it realized that there were  _ways_ to destroy him- ways like the humans had done before. By betrayal, by stabbing him in the back. The Hive was going to heal once it had his powers. Mother didn't wanted to listen, and it started loathing her too. But she was its mother, mother to them all- and when fatherbrother killed her it was shocked too. But unlike the siblings, it only saw the  _potential_ . The possibilities- mother gone. Gone also her rigid Hive.  _It_ would be able to bring about a new Hive. Stronger too- and all it had to do was consume fatherbrother and take the throne he rejected.

So it imitated him, imitated how he took the humans' shape to walk amongst them. Because it knew that trying to attack them wasn't going to work. It had to be  _careful_ , watch them first, before it struck.

It had known about the pack that had brought down fatherbrother before. The pack leader it couldn't take, was always out of its reach. Too careful, too watchful. But it could take one of the pack members. And it chose the one that was always alone with the machines.

It had gotten lucky. That one had been sent by the leader to acquire some information, paper, and was still in possession of it. Figuring out what the pack leader wanted was easy- and it quickly shifted the focus of its work. The pack leader was already on his way to make fatherbrother stronger. Abilities it could need too. It was going much faster than it expected, actually- and it took fatherbrother's focus away from it.

For this, it just needed to avoid the soldiers, had avoided being detected easily- because unlike fatherbrother it knew  _restraint_ . It was patient, watched from the shadow while playing human. Weak creatures, without order, without power- and still endlessly dangerous. It was fascinated by it, was fascinated what it learnt about the first Hive mother created. Learnt how it was created- and the pack leader hadn't even realized he handed it the possibility to do so.

Destroying the humans would be easy though. Their machines, their weapons- without them there were easy prey. It would have been easy guiding the siblings to attack them when they were at their weakest- but fatherbrother wasn't supposed to know it was there. So it stopped talking to the Hive, was only listening.

Listened how mother died. Listened how the Hive was thrown into chaos. Listened to their mourning. It hadn't interfered,  _couldn't_ interfere. Siblings were  _weak_ too. Without mother, they couldn't survive, while it and fatherbrother were easily able to do so. They were the new generation- more powerful and less dependent on the Hive. The old Hive needed to die so it could create a new Hive. And fatherbrother continued slaughtering the siblings, killed them and drove them back without listening to their cries. Weak, all of them. They deserved to die. 

But fatherbrother not only killed the weak siblings- he also fought the humans. Not for food, but to  _learn_ . Learning by taking their memories, learning about himself. Learning about his parents, the humans that created him from mother.  
To kill them too.

This one-sided focus on parricide blinded him. Made him ignorant to what was around him. In the end he hadn't even realized that it was amongst the pack of humans that sought to take down the thief that took the oldest brother away.

And that was when it realized fatherbrother wasn't fit to rule, wasn't fit to bring the order. He was too selfish, too blind and deaf to the Hive's pleas. Too caught in the own ways of attempting to be  _human_ . He wasn't human- but he denied any relationship he had with them.

So it was going to kill and consume fatherbrother, was going to take his powers for itself. And its chance came quickly. The pack leader had started to panic, because the thief of the oldest brother threatened to destroy the entire city. It was survivable- with enough mass and hiding in the ground- or by taking the abilities of those that were stronger. But fatherbrother was panicking too- so he took the shape of another human and went together with the pack of them. Just another pathetic example of him refusing his powers and playing  _human_ .

The thief didn't realize he was being played- humans never realized- and fatherbrother subsequently killed and devoured the man. Then he told them about being able to disarm the weapon- but that was when it finally acted, shed off its disguise.

“ _You won't”_

* * *

 

The Supreme Hunter?! Here? But he had killed it! He had seen it die!

It was impossible it was here! Alex snarled and backed off, eyes never leaving the much larger beast. Asides from  _it should not be here_ , there was the other thing too- it had disguised itself as Hoffman- disguised like  _he_ could do. Plus, it could fire Devastators- something none of the other Infected could do. This bastard was  _way too much_ like him, and too little Redlight.

He had to kill it.

His Armor rose from his skin and encased his body as his muscles increased in size. Alex ducked and growled at the thing, body bristling.

The elevator stopped at deck with a loud  _clang_ , and the men present on deck whirled around, guns ripped up, while the workers immediately fled for safety.  _“All hands on deck! All hands on deck!”_ The loudspeakers yowled throughout the ship and Alex wondered for a brief moment whether it came from any of the Wisemen he'd come here with.  _“Intruder alert- ZEUS is in the barn! This is not a drill!”_

The Hunter whirled around when the first bullets impacted into its flesh, eyes narrowing at the men. Alex instantly recognized the fine tremor and the tendrils that started to converge across its shape and leapt off the floor with a swear, heading further up on the deck.

The Hunter exploded behind him in a mass of tightly packed tendrils and steel-like spears. The Blackwatch soldiers that had been on deck were torn to pieces in an instant, and Alex was slightly startled by the pure  _reach_ of the Devastator. At the next moment, adrenaline rushed through his body and drove him forwards, drowning out the terror he felt. The Hunter was going to kill him if he didn't kill it first, so he dove for a grounded helicopter, ripped it up and chucked it with full force at the Hunter. The friction and the stress blew up the gas tank, along with the engine and the ammunition that was still on-board, creating a powerful ball of fire. 

The Hunter's enraged howls weren't quite drowned out by it, and it was shooting out of the flames much too quickly. Alex bounced to the side easily enough, letting its wild swing miss by feet. The Hunter stopped, whipping around with a sort-of confused growl. Probably didn't expect him to move that fast in his shell. Thank God for the upgrades he had so recently worked in. Didn't mean he was going to stick around, though- this guy was far too much of a threat to screw around, so Alex instantly rocketed off the floor, air-dashed to the side to get out of the Hunter's reach before it got its bearings back together. He couldn't stay in its closer surrounding for too long- he had been impaled with a Devastator once already and was not keen on doing it again. Which limited his abilities drastically. Claws, Blade and the Hammerfists were right out of the question except for hit-and-run. The Whipfist wasn't suited for tough targets like this beast either, which reduced his possibilities to 'Run Circles and ditch stuff'.

Luckily, an aircraft carrier certainly did not lack in projectiles required. Alex dove at a stash of rockets previously placed here for loading the various fighter jets and helicopters before he and the Hunter interrupted them, and yanked it up, whirling to throw it at the much larger beast.

He misjudged how close it was, though, so when the rocket hit the Hunter, the resulting shockwave from the insides blowing up threw Alex backwards as well. He hissed and twisted in mid-air, giving off a burst of condensed air to catapult himself back to the front and shift his one arm into his Blade at the same time. He slammed into the Hunter at full speed, nearly tackling it off balance as his weapon burrowed deep into its chest. Instead of dying, however, the beast reeled only a little, before its massive paw seized Alex's torso and yanked him back, pulling him out of the wound in the process. Alex instantly twisted, tried to break free, when the Hunter jabbed its own bony blade to the front. Alex's armor groaned upon impact and gave in, but luckily the weapon did not go through. Instead, most of the front section of the shell cratered, crushed lungs and ribs beneath. Alex gasped when the shock raced through his system, and just kicked both legs out, hitting the thing's eyes. The Hunter roared and reeled back, flinging Alex across the flight deck. He hit the ground several yards down with a dry hiss and a loud thud, and the spikes along his shell dug into the floor and stopped him from slipping.

_Ow_

His chest hurt and he couldn't breathe- only gasping in short, shallow pants. His lungs were ruined, as were his ribs- and even though his Armor was cracking back into place already, he still couldn't  _breathe_ -

_You are not human. You never have been human. You are the Blacklight Virus._

The though flashed through his brain with a sudden urge. He wasn't human. He  _was not_ human.

He did not  _need_ to breathe. 

Pain, breathlessness, broken bones- all of it was purely psychosomatic. He was lacking the structures that could be damaged, so all injuries were just a conjuration of his mind- just a role he played so good it also affected his endurance.

He didn't need to breathe, didn't need to feel  _pain_ . He was a  _virus_ \- and a virus did not feel.

With a snarl, he wrenched himself to his feet, just in time to avoid a lunge from the Supreme Hunter. The beast soared over his head, yowling in confusion as it missed him by several feet. His Whipfist was formed in an instant and latched onto the Hunter's leg just as Alex dug his feet into the ground for leverage, then whirled around to drag the much larger Hunter with him and fling it violently across the deck and into the superstructure with a resounding crash. With a growl, he leapt off the ground, towards another grounded chopper, and just ripped it out of its mooring to throw it with all strength into the still-grounded Supreme Hunter.

The beast easily freed itself, picking up the burning wreckage and chucking it back towards Alex, who leapt over it and out of reach. At the same time, the loudspeakers all over the ship started blaring, demanding for back-up and calling for the helicopters that were already in the air to return.

He rolled to the side and air-dashed away, boosting himself further away to avoid a chopper swoop down and spray the ground and the Supreme Hunter with missiles. The beast snarled and kicked off the ground, slamming into the aircraft hard enough to utterly destroy it. But it was distracted for a moment, so Alex grabbed a large cruise missile from a forgotten cart and chucked it at the Hunter, downing it when the thing went up. Well, at least it didn't have his air dash, and certainly couldn't glide to correct its position in mid-air like he could, so it crashed hard into the flight deck. Small mercies.

However, it was also a whole lot tougher than anything he'd ever fought before, and its massive frame was deceptively fast. The very moment it had slammed into the floor it was already moving again, lunging to the front and towards Alex. Its massive paw whistled at his head, and he instinctively brought up his Shield to swallow the blow. It was still powerful enough to rattle his frame, and he found himself  _way too close_ to the bigger Infected. 

The Hunter seemed to smirk as its position changed slightly and its normal-looking foot shot out to crash hard into Alex's chest. The shell there had grown back into position  _and_ had reinforced itself, but the blow was still strong enough to crack it again and send Alex hurling backwards. He corrected his position with an air-dash and got away from the Infected easily, heading towards the substructure. He needed some height and distance, and with the Supreme Hunter lacking most of his aerial maneuvers, he had the advantage of speed. The beast was snarling and set after him. Alex kicked off the island and catapulted himself behind his foe, slamming his Whipfist into its ankles to throw it off balance long enough to jab his hand into the floor and plant a cluster of Groundspikes just below the creature. The story-tall spears impaled the Hunter, ripped parts of its lower extremities apart and stopped it dead in its tracks.

“Forget ZEUS! Shoot the big guy!” Somebody bellowed besides him, and a swarm of incendiary grenades and Javelin missiles impacted into the Supreme Hunter, which ducked behind its massive claw to shield its face from the hailstorm. Alex still craned his head around, eyes widening behind his faceplate when Cross and the remaining seven Wisemen joined in on the fray.

“Keep this bastard pinned”, the Captain barked at him, then aimed his grenade launcher at the giant beast to fire off his own rounds. “And you others- shoot that big one! It killed General Randall!”

“Sir?!” Someone yelled over the roar of gunfire, “How did it and ZEUS get on board?!”

“Your security sucks”, Alex threw in, eyes narrowing on the Supreme Hunter. It ducked low, tendrils crawling across its flesh. _Ah, shit._

Alex instantly yanked his Groundspikes free and whirled around, Whipfist lashing out to swipe all the men nearby from their feet. Cross shouted something, maybe a swearword, as he went down. Alex couldn't really care when he dropped himself as well, just in time to avoid a full barrage of tendrils soaring over his head and spearing everything in their path.

“Stay down!” He hissed at the Specialist, “I'll distract it. You shoot it once it's after me.”

“The fuck is this thing?!”

“This”, Alex climbed to his feet carefully, ducking under the retreating tendrils, “Is the parasite you tried to kill me with.” 

He kicked off the floor the very moment the Devastator had pulled back completely. There was a short time where the Hunter was going to be vulnerable before it got its bearings back together. He slammed into the beast and drove it back, Musclemass giving him an edge over the brute strength of the Hunter. The thing swayed back from his onslaught, then threw its massive paw out, forcing Alex to air-dash to the side to avoid it. He still slashed his Blade at its face though for good measure and to draw its attention, before he hastily retreated, Hunter hot on his heels. He rushed back across the flight deck, heading back towards the missiles and grounded helicopters to throw them, when the Hunter suddenly leapt off the ground and barreled into his back, sending him flying. Alex twisted around to face it, dropping his body to the floor to land in a crouch. The Hunter was upon him way too fast, claws blazing. Alex rolled to the side, parrying a blow from the bladed limb of his foe with his own. He instantly bounced backwards and out of its reach as the thing swung at him again, then flipped over its head and shifting to the Hammerfists.

It had worked before to take it by surprise, this time, however, the Hunter swung around and slammed its massive paw right into his stomach, caving in his armor and killing his momentum.

He fell back, easily flipping so his feet were under his body- and he catapulted himself off the ground the moment he made contact. Alex just tucked in his head and slammed with full force into the Supreme Hunter's chest, snapping the bones there and throwing it off balance. The massive beast crashed into the ground, flailing, and Alex instantly jabbed his Blade down and through its sternum, while also planting another cluster of Groundspikes straight through its chest and abdomen.

The beast thrashed and howled out in pain, but managed to lurch upwards and out of the spikes to crush its skull into Alex's. He stumbled back, swearing. The Hunter kicked him off and lunged at him, massive paw slamming against his chest to smash him hard into the floor with enough strength to crack the deck and parts of his Armor. It snarled at him, eyes narrow as it continued to increase the pressure it was putting on his torso, breaking whatever chitinous material it found beneath.

It left itself wide open, and Alex just realized that the shooting had stopped temporarily. Moments before a familiar, blue-sparking baton was jabbed roughly into the Hunter's chest. The static crackle was deafening, as was the pained screech of the thing as it collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

“Move your ass!” Cross bit out, slightly breathless, twisting the stun baton deeper into the Hunter's chest- but the charge was already weakening. He made a sign and immediately dove away, seconds before several Javelins impacted into the Supreme Hunter's body and ripped through its already ruined flesh. Alex rolled to the side and quickly found his feet, getting some distance between himself and the inferno, heading over to the Wisemen that were forming a circle around their Captain. The men were positively _livid_ , and were joining in on the fray with grenade launchers.

“Thanks”

“That bastard killed and took over my engineer”, Cross growled, “And I didn't realize it. It could have killed my entire team and I wouldn't have noticed anything amiss.” He snorted. “I don't like this. I don't like this entire mess.” He glared at Alex. “Any ideas?”

“Just one”, the younger replied, “Keep shooting until it doesn't move anymore- then shoot some more.”

The Hunter roared and dove at them, flesh already healing back together as it moved. Alex snarled and went between it and the Wisemen, stopping it dead in its tracks in a cacophony of breaking Armor and snapping bones. He shouldn't put any more stress on his shell until it had healed- but he didn't have a choice in that matter. The beast's paw took a hold of Alex's back, and its bladed arm slid under his right shoulder- and he was bodily lifted off the floor. He had a split second to realize his situation before the Hunter pile-drove him back into the flight deck head first with enough strength to snap his spine and shatter most of his upper body to stun him.

Pain flashed like a series of alert signals through his body, wrenching a snarl from his ruined chest.  _So be it_ .

Biomass thrashed across his surface before pulling beneath the shattered Armor to tighten its structure. The Hunter roared and slammed its paw down, trying to break his body- when it suddenly stopped with an abortive yowl. It must have noticed the tremors, and was able to identify them- much like Alex could- but it was too slow.

Alex wrenched a Tendril Barrage from his body, ruining much of his Biomass in the process. Faintly, he heard the Wisemen's startled shouts, but couldn't sense any soft flesh he hit- only dense skin and muscles from the Supreme Hunter, as well as steel from the ship itself. Still, he got the bastard- lances and tentacles ripped into its body and pinned it there, allowing the troops on the ground and the aerial units to land several hits on the creature. But he couldn't keep the Barrage up- his body was in agony, hunger was gnawing at his insides.

With a strangled gasp, he pulled back the spears (or what was left of them after the Hellfire Missiles were done with them) and rose to his feet, dismissing his Armor to heal faster. The Hunger subsided slightly, but he knew he couldn't waste any  _more_ Biomass- not when the only  _viable_ targets around were all under Cross's order and currently his allies; and the Supreme Hunter wasn't something he gave ever a thought about consuming, not after it had started out as a parasite  _eating_ him from the inside-out. He wasn't going to invite trouble by putting it back into his body.

Which left him with the only possibility to take this thing down hard and fast. He sprinted to the side, much faster now that his shell wasn't restricting him- and grabbed another helicopter off the deck. The Supreme Hunter had already whirled around and was chasing after him, so Alex immediately chucked the aircraft at the beast and forced it back, lunging at it as long it was still off-balance and slamming his freshly-formed Blade into its shoulder to stop it from using its paw. The Hunter roared and swung its own sword-like limb at Alex, but he already pulled free and jumped out of its reach before it even managed to turn around.

However, the wound was already healing shut again, and not for the first time Alex wondered just how long this thing could keep up healing- and how much time he had left.

Because just below them, in the belly of this ship- was a live nuclear weapon. And the countdown was running.

_Fuck this_

Alex threw a glance back at his foe and dashed down the flight deck, slow enough so it could keep up- before he sped up, yanked a whole cart full of ammunition up and threw it at the beast with enough force to blow up the volatile contents. By the time the Hunter and the projectiles went up in a massive ball of fire, he was already halfway back to Cross and the Wisemen. The other Blackwatch soldiers were at a comfortable distance, and they certainly had no intention to get any closer to ZEUS or the guys who had the balls (or madness) to stare it down.

“That doesn't work”, he growled once he was in earshot with the team. “This bastard's just healing over and over again.” He glanced back, but found it leaping up and destroying an Apache that had flown too close. “The only thing that's working is fire.”

“Aim for the face”, Cross commented, more to his team than him, panting slightly through grit teeth. Alex could imagine that the injuries he had caused during their battle at Sinai were acting up again. “Keep it blind”, the Captain added, “And keep out of the range of those tendrils. It's a close ranged fighter. Stay away and wear it down from afar.” He glared at Alex, before he dismounted the grenade launcher from his own arm and shoved it over. Alex took it and the grenade belt, perplexed, nearly not hearing what the Captain told him next. “Your job is it to prevent Junior over there from getting close, got it?”

His head snapped up sharply. “What?”

“You heard me. You're the only one who can take a hit from that bastard and keep going. And I am not going to sacrifice any more of my men.”

Any reply Alex could have given was cut short by the Hunter's roar. So he just dropped the topic and charged the Infected, Armor and Shield coming back at a mere thought. He impacted into the beast with the power of a runaway truck and managed to stagger it long enough to get out of its reach before it could retaliate.

It was incredibly delicate work- he could wear it down probably, shave off bit by bit until it was too damaged to continue; but the clock was ticking. Alex didn't like being on a time limit, though he had to admit he was working best when under pressure.

The Hunter swung at him, Alex dodged to the side and aimed Cross's grenade launcher at the beast, firing off a single grenade directly at its face. Part of him marveled how easy the weapon handled, especially given the fact that nobody he consumed before ever had any experience with this kind of gear, and another part watched with sadistic glee how the explosive tore out parts of the Hunter's face and singed its eyes, blinding it. The beast swayed, howling, claw pressed firmly into its face to protect it. Alex tackled back into it with an air-dash. He couldn't use the Blade in such a short distance, the Hammerfists neither, since he usually used  _both_ and he couldn't do that with the grenade launcher attached to his wrist- plus he didn't have the leverage needed to cause damage. Which left the Musclemass- or the Claws.

And the Claws were definitely preferably in this case. Faster than the Musclemass  _and_ dealt a whole lot of damage. Alex didn't know much of the Supreme Hunter's physiology, but if it was anywhere like normal Hunters, then blood loss and cerebral trauma should shut it down. He was going to try it. He hacked away at the exposed skull, tearing bloody groves into the thick skin and massive muscles as fast as he could with only one arm. The Supreme Hunter growled and suddenly its massive paw grabbed Alex and yanked him off, throwing him across the ship with little more than a thought. It was ridiculous how easily that guy managed to fling someone who was weighing about the same as it did across half the ship like it was flicking away a flea.

Alex corrected his position and air-dashed over to the superstructure, feet making contact with the surface before he rushed upwards, arm flattening into his Blade. He rocketed off the construction and screwed himself as high as possible, before he came back down like a living Guillotine. The Hunter, having anticipated his move, managed to get away and out of reach, but the shockwave that raced through the ship, along with the sheer force Alex put into his move, caved in a section of the flight deck with enough power to actually make the larger beast stumble. He shot to the front and slammed his Blade into the Hunter's legs, ripping through tendons and muscles with ease and stopping it dead in its tracks. As it doubled over to howl in pain, he fired another grenade into its face to send it flailing back. He slammed into it again, using his shoulder and his Shield like a battering ram, to finally bring it down. At the same moment, he jabbed his Blade into its throat, digging deep to tear a hole.

The Hunter yowled, and its legs kicked out, forcing Alex off it and away from it while it was squirming. A helicopter swooped down, firing whatever it had on the grounded beast- but it was moving entirely too fast and was out of the devastating reach, even blinded. Whether sheer luck or something more- Alex couldn't tell. But he had to go after it, especially when it lunged right at the soldiers still crowded around at the other end of the flight deck.

And if it was anywhere like him, it was going to  _consume_ the people to get its strength back.

He couldn't allow it, so he tackled into it again, threw it off course and drew its attention. The Hunter roared and swiped at him, wounds healing shut again- but slower than before. It was weakening- and growing  _desperate_ .

_Just a little while longer_ .

Alex slammed into it again when they broke away, sent it careening into a parked F22. He lifted his arm and fired another grenade at the beast, blowing it and the jet up. It wouldn't keep the thing down, though, and the people were getting in the way. If the Hunter would get them and consume them, then they would have to begin all over again. And he couldn't risk it.

So Alex rushed back to Cross. “Clear the ship” He bellowed, “You're the one in charge here, make sure nobody's going to get in the way!”

To give him credit, Cross didn't ask  _why_ . As Alex whirled around and lunged back at the Supreme Hunter that had just freed itself from the burning wreckage, the Captain went for his radio.

“ _This is Captain Cross speaking. Attention to all personnel- evacuate the Reagan immediately! This is not a drill- I repeat, evacuate the Reagan immediately! We have a Code Black!”_

The soldiers on deck froze, suspicion clear on their faces. But when the Supreme Hunter ripped a helicopter out of its moorings to try and beat Alex into the deck with it (emphasis on  _try_ ), the men closest to the fighting Infected were the first to pull back, heading towards the starting ramp, where Blackhawks swooped in and collected them nearly immediately. Alex grunted and dodged the Hunter's attempt at his life, then lashed out with his Whipfist to tear a grove across its shoulders before pulling back and getting out of range again. He had to keep it on its toes, had to make it understand that as long he was there, it wouldn't be able to escape and consume.

And the Hunter understood it only all too clearly. With an howl, it threw itself at Alex, claw lifted high over its head. He rolled to the side, avoiding the rather clumsy blow- and was instantly pinned on the floor with the club foot. He hadn't expected the thing to figure out where he was going, but now he had that bastard at his back.

Alex snarled and several foot long spikes broke through his Armor and speared into the Hunter's leg, forcing it to step off him. In that moment, he slammed his fists into the floor, pushed himself up and brought the Supreme Hunter off-balance, sending it stumbling.

_Not enough_

Alex pounced off the floor and crashed into the beast, finally throwing it off its feet. Instantly, its paw came up, trying to bludgeon Alex, but he managed to deflect it using his Shield. The Hunter's bladed arm slammed into his other side, and he ducked behind his other arm. Cross's grenade launcher offered nearly no resistance to the blow, but the Hunter's weapon was lodged firmly into the twisted metal, trapped for a moment.

Just the moment Alex needed. He wasn't big or strong enough to keep the beast pinned, and if he didn't act fast, the thing would change their positions and make life a lot harder for him.

Spikes rose from his Armor at a mere thought, sharp and long like machetes to prevent the large Infected from grabbing him, as Alex flung his now free left arm down, claws formed the moment before he hit the thing's chest with all strength. His talons broke the tough skin and parted muscles, sinking in a few inches before the denser flesh stopped him.

Not this time.

Alex snarled and forced his own Biomass to surge forward, ripping from his arm and sinking deep into the Supreme Hunter, whose roars quickly shifted to an agonized howl. Hardened Blacklight Biomass tore through the Infected's body, not consuming but  _shredding_ , shaping into massive spears that erupted from the Hunter's flesh in clusters. Blood and tissue sprayed across the flight deck, splattered against Alex's chest and wrenched another surge of  _hunger_ from his insides. The Hunter yowled in pain, started thrashing beneath him, even as he yanked himself free and left holes where its vital organs should have been. He jumped off it, avoiding its flailing limbs for a moment- then crashed right back into as soon there was an opening.

The wounds were already growing shut again in a flurry of red tendrils, but slowly.

_Ah, screw this_ .

Alex yanked the grenade belt off his torso and slammed it roughly into the largest hole in the Hunter's chest, followed by the last of the grenades from the ruined grenade launcher.

“Grow that back!”

The Supreme Hunter yowled in panic, clawing at its chest in an attempt to get the explosives out when Alex retreated to a safe distance. The grenades went off in a violent chain reaction, incendiary and shrapnel reducing the massive Infected to bloody bits and a spray of gore.

* * *

 

Blood and tissues rained across the deck of the  _Reagan_ like during a cheap slasher movie. The roar of the Blackhawks across seemed to turn mute for a second there, as if the current evacuation had stopped when the big bastard blew up like fireworks on the fourth of July. He was pretty sure that nothing would survive  _that_ .

“Sir?” Santos asked, “Is it over?”

“It is”, he replied gruffly, glancing over to the other guy.

Mercer was just nearby, down on one knee and talons dug into the ruined flight deck. It was dark out there, and that made seeing details a little difficult, but it did look like even the mighty ZEUS was running ragged.

What now?

One Infected dead. The other weakened. And especially, the bastard that screwed everything over dead and the other bastard he had been brought into Manhattan for still alive. More even, Mercer had killed countless good men, murdered one third of his Wisemen and slaughtered Randall himself. He was a threat, not only to Blackwatch, but to every living thing on the damn planet.

“God's sake”, he ground out, draping his hand over his face. What was he supposed to do now? Do the right thing and wrestle Mercer into a containment device? Or do the _right_ thing and let him off with a warning?

Neither option appealed to him- if Blackwatch got their hands on him then nobody could know what was going to happen then. The chance they would continue their work on bioweapons was too great, and Mercer's strain too lethal.

If he let him go, then there was nothing that would keep an eye on him. If he decided to screw over the world, then Blackwatch might be too late if they had to find him first. And trusting that he could behave himself? Complete bullshit. Mercer was a killing machine, one that would never stop.

If he let him go, then he would just continue murdering people, but then Blackwatch wouldn't be being able to fuck this up again. If he captured him (and that was a big 'if', even weakened he was still powerful), then it would be stabbing a man's back who trusted him. And Cross hated having to betray people who trusted him.

“Sir? What now?” Anders questioned.

“I don't know”, the Captain admitted with a bone-weary sigh. “I just don't know-” He cut himself off, eyes widening.

“The warhead”, he ground out. “It's still on countdown!”

There was the sound of metal shrieking, seconds before a part of the deck was hurled into the bay. Mercer just dove into the belly of the ship through a hole that hadn't been there before. Cross growled and swung around, sprinting towards the various entrances to the hangar deck. The Wisemen followed after him, always loyal. Even though they were currently heading towards a  _live_ nuke.

Halfway down, the Captain felt his insides setting themselves on fire.  _The doc told me not to overexert myself_ , he thought darkly as he automatically started breathing more shallow. Broken ribs and sprinting didn't really go together, and even the adrenaline coursing through his body couldn't help him anymore.

He still forced it down and continued as if nothing was wrong. They had to deactivate that blasted warhead!

Bay one- the cart was gone. He felt his stomach lurch a little.  _Where the-?!_

“Over there!” Redstone called out, pointing to the side. Cross found Mercer kneeling in front of the cart with the missile, doing something to Alistair's Blackhawk. The Wisemen rushed over.

“The Hell?!” Jackson bellowed. Mercer glanced at him briefly, before he pulled a chain into view.

“I can't disarm it”, he growled, but there was a sort of helplessness in it. “Randall- Randall made sure that it is irreversible after a certain amount of time.”

“Fuck!” Estoban bit out while Fernandez turned pale. “We gotta get out of here!” He gasped. “We really gotta-”

“No”, Mercer cut in, voice hard. “Even if you get out of the blast radius, we're still too close to the island.” His eyes flashed and he stopped what he was doing for a moment. “And I told you- I won't let Randall erase New York like he erased Hope.” He threw Redstone one end of the chain. “Hook it in!” He snapped, then turned to Alistair. “You fire up your chopper. Santos- get us up on deck!”

His tone left no room for arguments, and Cross could have sworn he heard a distinct bit of Randall through as his team scrambled to do exactly what he told them to do. Jackson, Anders and Estoban started to attach the chains to either corner of the cart, while Fernandez tied the nuke down to prevent it from falling off.

“You're going to run with it”, The Captain realized, more to himself really. “You are going to bring it out there.”

Mercer stilled, then exhaled slowly. “I will”, he replied, and his tone was  _dead_ . “I told you. I am not going to let Manhattan be destroyed. I won't let them. Because then it would mean that Blackwatch had  _won_ . Manhattan has to remain to show everybody what they had done.” His fingers curled. “The outbreak- it was  _my_ fault. I will end it. I will make sure Manhattan will still be there.”

He got up, locking eyes with Cross as the lift stopped at the deck. The rotor of the Blackhawk was roaring over the tense silence, but it didn't drown out what he said. “You are responsible for Dana”, Mercer bit out. “Make sure Blackwatch will never find her.”

He spun around and headed for the helicopter, grabbed MacAlistair and just threw him out of the cockpit to take control himself.

“Ah, fuck”, Cross groaned. “You're a crazy bastard.”

The Wisemen stepped back when the helicopter took off and headed out to sea. Nobody said anything until the clatter of its rotor had faded into a distant thrumming.

“He just stole Maggie”, MacAlistair broke the tense silence. “He just stole Maggie and is going to bloody nuke himself.”

“Crazy Bastard”, Cross repeated again, before they fell quiet again. 

With only them watching, the counter finally set to zero and a second sun rose far to the south.

 


	30. Resurrection

 

Waves were lapping at the docks near Pier forty. It was dark, but the lanterns along the streets cast bright light across the choppy black water and the various trash floating within. One bit was what looked like the scorched remains of a life vest, with an emergency light flashing weakly. Black and red flesh was glittering in the weak light, but it was enough to attract a single hungry crow. It landed easily on the rocking piece of plastic and pecked at the fleshy matter, tearing off and swallowing a few bits before the splash of a particularly strong wave scared it off.

The bird flapped towards the street, when something started ensnaring its wings, forcing it to land on a park bench with a caw. Disgruntled, it preened its feathers, only for tiny black ropes springing up from its skin and snatch its beak, multiplying rapidly. The crow made a noise, then realized that something was wrong. Cawing and flapping, it tried to take off, escape whatever was holding to it, but it couldn't even fly away when it found itself tied to the bench by more black flesh. It fell to the front, croaking and fluttering its wings in panic. When it hit the street, something broke and the bird went silent. No sound except for the soft smack of flesh on flesh as black slime quickly melted the crow down, devoured every last bit of it.

Then the ooze started to move. Skittering across the pavement, snatching up a few unlucky bugs on its way, before it came to rest just beneath a street lamp. Light above, gravity beneath- this was the correct alignment.

It started thrashing, black and red turning into black and red and  _white_ when bones came from the goop and rose towards the lamp high above. Two bones quickly multiplied, and tendons started stretching across it as it grew quickly into a single hand that slapped the cold pavement beneath with a wet noise. Fingers twitched, then  _heaved_ . The goop was thrashing, twisting, small black and red tendrils coiling through the air before settling down and shifting. Turning into bones. Muscles. Organs. Tendons. Lungs started sucking in air. An heart started beating. Pumping uselessly before it was taken again and the mass recycled turning into a neck. Throat. Lower jaw. A skull started to grow, just as chest and hips formed. White teeth cracked into place and a tongue ran over them when legs and feet came to be. Skin started spreading, covering the body- then turned into vast expanses of denim, leather, wool; feeding on what had grown before, recycling most of the internal structures. 

Face and hands remained skin, and unruly dark hair was covered with a heavy hood that instantly cast shadows over the still healing face. When the last bit of raw flesh was covered in skin, pale blue eyes opened for the first time, unfocused at first but quickly recognizing where he was.

Alex exhaled, making a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl. Memories came back. The latest first, the blast. He remembered having brought the nuclear warhead out into the bay. As far as possible, before he finally dropped the cargo. He had known there wasn't much time left, and he was already on the way back when the counter finally set to zero and the warhead detonated.

He remembered the dome of light, then the shockwave that had grabbed the Blackhawk and destroyed it. He remembered being reduced to bits in every agonizing detail. He remembered the cold and dark wetness of the bay.

And yet, he was still alive.

Or again.

Or whatever he had been before, since a virus wasn't really alive to begin with.

He had just regenerated from a puddle on the floor. Had grown back into his default form within a few minutes. Still trying to deny his nature was moot at this point. He was Blacklight. Not Alex Mercer. Not James Goodwin. Not Margret Jones. Not any of the other dead people echoing within him. He wasn't human- but at the same time, all of those people were part of who he was. He had adopted parts of their identities as his own, had taken traits that were unique to them to his own. Had taken the face of his first one for himself even. Because he wasn't like the other Infected either. He was unique- and dangerous.

Three weeks. Millions dead. And he had been there from the beginning to the end, survived even a blasted  _nuke_ \- and he was still there.

Because there was so much left to do. Randall was dead, was just another memory inside his head, just another face he could take. But his bosses were still there. And their bosses. And those that told them to develop weapons. DARPA, CIA, the Government, and God knew who else. It would never be over until he had gotten those guys too. Until he had stopped them.

He stared out over the river.

Was  _this_ what he was going to do from now on? Hunt his foes? Was this all he was reduced to? Because he wasn't human, wasn't Alex Mercer, and that meant that Dana wasn't his family. He had nothing left, only his rage- and that had faded ever since he had killed Randall.

How long was he going to hunt for these men? How long until either he or they breathed their last? He didn't know, but that was all he could do.  _Should_ do. 

He started walking, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, head lowered. Manhattan had survived the Infection-  _barely_ . But she was still kicking. He couldn't abandon her any less than he could abandon Dana. And he needed to tell her, needed to explain the truth to her. He was going to decide what to do after he had spoken to her. After he had destroyed the last bits of Redlight, to make sure nobody would ever be able to use it again.

And after that- after listening to Dana's final judgment- he was going to take down Blackwatch. And make sure they would never do shit like that ever again.

* * *

 

Robert Cross was off duty. After the Reagan, after having been evacuated from the ship until the eggheads have given the all-clear; he and his team had been taken into the infirmary for viral scans and overall medical check-up. They were shaken, had some bruises; but were fine otherwise. The doctors had taken great pleasure reminding Cross that active battle was listed under 'strenuous activities' and thus was not recommended as something that could be done when having broken ribs. The Wisemen had his back though, had told them that his mission had been to locate and capture Taggart- and nobody could have expected two Infected Monsters infiltrating Citadel at the same time and deciding to duke it out on their grounds.

Moot point there- the guys gathered all the remains of the large Hunter-like thing and incinerated them. Jackson kept an eye on it, personally.

At least that put those demons to rest, thought Cross would have wanted to know  _what_ exactly that thing had been. Mercer told them it was the parasite, the weapon he had been tasked to take him down with. Cross wondered whether any of the scientists knew what they were breeding- but he couldn't ask them. They were all dead and gone. Mercer had picked them all off. McMullen was also dead, along with Randall. Most of the upper echelons present in Manhattan were.

And during the chaos that followed the explosion of the nuke, coupled with too many people demanding answers, nobody noticed some more of the bosses and commanders disappearing. Cross had first assumed it was just a coincidence, men going AWOL or being picked off by the last stragglers of the Infection. But after more and more disappeared, he just  _knew_ that it wasn't right. One guy being able to infiltrate their compounds was already a nightmare.  _Two_ even more so. They couldn't need a  _third_ Infected running amok.

He would have started investigating it since the others rarely questioned where he went at certain times a day, but somebody apparently wanted to keep a close eye on him, so he wasn't allowed anywhere off the compound, forcing him to take up guard duty to stave off the boredom that tried to take over. Perched on top of the Coast Guard Recruitment Center, near the still-busted skylights, he couldn't help but think about his current job.

He didn't believe the whole 'you're still injured so we can't let you out' excuse they made. It looked more like they tried to get him out of the way until they had decided what to do with him. After all, he had faced down ZEUS twice already- and was still alive to tell the tale. A part of the men on the ground found it suspicious he managed to survive where others had not; while the much larger part took up downright _worshiping_ him. And his Wisemen didn't help the situation either, they cast more oil to the flames than was actually recommended by telling them that he not only managed to survive the encounters, but also had managed to stop ZEUS from tearing the other men to shreds just by shouting at it. At this point, they would probably had ganged together to let him get the leadership of Blackwatch- something his superiors clearly did not want.

And he could already guess why. He asked too many questions. Worked too differently to their normal M.O. If he wasn't that well-known with the men, then his bosses would have had no problem ditching him and finding somebody who was better at following orders. He wondered whether they  _suspected_ . He was certain his team hadn't blabbed, but he couldn't be too sure about the others- the whole clusterfuck on the  _Reagan_ surely raised a few questions.

He knew that he was currently on very thin ice. After all, he  had willingly and knowingly contacted Blackwatch's prime target, had fed it information and sacrificed a whole lot of good men to earn its trust- all to kill his own superior. He had knowingly abandoned his four men that had died at Mercer's hands to work with their killer. He might have saved the city in the process, but in the end, he still committed high treason- and worse even, betrayed his own men and his beliefs. In the end, it was  _his_ fault all those men were dead and Mercer still on the loose.

And during this, he was still blind to the parasite. The parasite a few men had warned him about- he had brushed it off. And then he hadn't even realized that one of his best men was dead, replaced for another killing machine that had even less inclination of working together to save the city than Mercer had. One thing that could kill and imitate his men  _perfectly_ was a terrifying thought. But there had been  _two_ , and the second one he hadn't noticed until it was too late. That didn't sit well with him.

At the very least, he had managed to pacify the suspicions of the Wisemen by getting them the files from McMullen's office- now unguarded- along with several others. Nobody had seemed to realize it, but the chaos around had been too great anyways; and seeing the reason what made him take the drastic step of allying himself with the enemy did silence most of the arguments. Not all of them though and especially Jackson kept reminding him that he should have picked a different way, or taken Mercer in in the end, instead of letting him go.

But Mercer- was he an enemy? Cross couldn't really tell. Far as he saw it, he had been a victim of the circumstances too. Though he did have enormous strength to back it off and a serious amount of violent aggression- and he had killed enough of Blackwatch. Enough of his team. He shouldn't be allowed to be left running about, and then it would be back to business again.

But he just...couldn't do it. After all the betrayal from his own bosses, after all the lies and the secrets, having somebody who tore at this construction was oddly soothing.

And then that bastard had the audacity to order him to look after the sister. The younger Mercer, the girl that was in St. Paul's. Cross followed the order like the obedient dog he was, because he actually  _respected_ him. And that was a whole different mindfuck on its own.

He just couldn't bring himself to betray Mercer and capture him like his mission was, and the question whether he wanted still remained the same. Without his work, Greene would still be alive and the city most likely glass.

There were steps behind him, and he turned, suspiciously. A single Blackwatch mook had arrived, rifle held loosely in his hand when he snapped his spine straight and saluted him. “Sir.”

Cross scoffed. “I haven't requested any back-up. I can still watch a damn roof on my own.” His eyes narrowed and he turned to face the man fully, fingers tightening on the trigger. He wasn't going to be taken off guard, not after all that happened. “Who are you?” He demanded, “Name, rank,  _fucking face_ .”

“You're kind of jumpy, aren't you?” The other man commented and there was a definite aura of superiority about him. Still, he relented, reaching back to unlatch the straps attaching the helmet and mask.

Cross inhaled sharply when he recognized the pale face, unruly hair and piercing blue eyes. “Fuck this”, he hissed. “You were supposed to be  _dead_ !”

“Surprise”, Mercer replied casually, wedging the helmet beneath his arm, “Not even a nuke can hold me down.” He paused, then added a thoughtful “Still spent nearly two days in the drink. Wasn't pleasant.”

Cross threw a glance back. At this distance, their faces were going to be unrecognizable, not to mention that most men wouldn't recognize ZEUS without his hood. But there were still viral scanners strewn throughout the compound, and they had still some D-Codes left. “How are you here?” He asked.

“Since Randall's gone, your structure and formation is lacking. Nobody asked any questions when I marched right in”, Mercer replied with a shrug. He tugged at the straps of his shoulder armor. “Plus, did you know that your uniforms shield me well enough from your scanners? Put on the full gear and I can chat with D-Codes without anybody any wiser.” He paused, then muttered 'Doesn't mean I like wearing this stuff.'

Cross groaned and draped his palm over his face. “And what the Hell are you doing here?”

“I wanted to thank you”, was the reply, and it kind of startled the Captain. Mercer was being _serious_. “For your help. For not ratting me out.” He tilted his head. “I'm sorry about your grenade launcher though. It was a nice weapon.”

“Oh, for God's sake”, the Specialist groaned. “You snuck into Battery Park just to tell me that?!”

“Not only”, Mercer sighed. “You see, without your help, I probably wouldn't have been able to get to Greene. If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have known about the D-Codes or the Bloodtox. And you helped me get to McMullen and Randall. Despite everything I did. I don't understand any of it.”

“Preaching to the choir”, Cross replied with a snort. He was still working on the _why_. “Randall had to be stopped, though”, he added after a moment. “Because Blackwatch had created Greene.”

“It's not over though”, Mercer claimed. “Greene was pregnant when they found her in Hope. Randall had taken the baby, and he knew it had been transferred further. Now, with his death, they will have most likely moved it again. I need to find it.”

Cross furrowed his brows. “Why have you done this?” He asked, and it took Mercer by surprise. “All of this- this entire mess- it wouldn't have needed to interest you. With your powers, it would have been easy to just grab your sister and escape before we even rolled in. Before we even locked the city down. Instead you stayed.” He cocked his head. “Why?”

Mercer seemed to think about it. “How much do you know about me?”

“What do you mean?”

“The things McMullen told you.”

_ZEUS's memory problems might be an advantage we can use- familiar people, objects, places...they seem to restore memories to ZEUS. The restoration is painful. During these moments, ZEUS is vulnerable. The more we know about it, the less it can discover, the better off we are. We can also get creative. We can lie._

Cross huffed out. “He told us you were lacking memories. Knowledge. Consistent with normal Runners, though you had the ability to take memories and restore your own.”

“That's not entirely true”, Mercer replied. “My own memories are still lost to me. I know nearly _nothing_ from before the morgue at Gentek. I woke up, scared the guys off that were about to vivisect me. And all I wanted to know was who I was, where I was, where I came from. Things like that.” He scoffed. “But when I got out, Blackwatch just _shot me_. They didn't even listen, just gunned me down. I escaped, tried to get away- but you were _everywhere_. Of course I was _pissed_.”

Cross arched his eyebrows. “So that was just  _revenge_ ? Petty revenge- and for this you killed hundreds of men?”

“In the beginning it was”, Mercer admitted. “But when I learnt about Dana, when I rescued her from Blackwatch- I realized that Blackwatch knew what had happened. They _knew_ what I wanted to know. I had the possibilities- but I had no idea where to start, and was grasping for straws. I took whatever I could reach. And the most obvious place was Gentek. Greene.” His voice dropped. “I wish I'd never found her. Wish I'd never freed her. She was a monster, infecting as she went. And I was the one to blame.”

He shook his head. “I was already about to take Dana and get her the Hell out of Manhattan- your lockdown hadn't been in action  _yet_ \- but she didn't want me to. She told me that we had to fix the city. I did it for  _her_ . So I focused on taking down Greene. To protect Dana, to correct the mistake I made by freeing her. Plus, I might have gotten information from her. Someone had locked her up. Someone working at Gentek. I have worked at Gentek too, so what had happened to me must have had something to do with her.” He shrugged. “In the end, I was right about that.”

“So you went to Karen Parker”, Cross realized. “Because you thought she could help you?”

“She had been at Gentek too- and we had been together” He frowned. “Or I think we were. There were pictures of us in my apartment. I thought if I get to her before Blackwatch makes her disappear like they tried with Dana, I'd have a chance to get a shot at McMullen. The city was dying already, Hunters everywhere, but I had Karen. I thought we could put a stop to this together.” He trailed off, eyes narrowing. “I hadn't known she was under _your_ orders.”

Cross chuckled. “Yeah, wasn't my idea though. I wouldn't have dragged  _civilians_ into it- but McMullen figured it was a good way to stop you. Guess it did work, in a way.”

“The parasite”, Mercer's expression darkened, but the Captain wasn't afraid. He was still alive, and Mercer probably wasn't going to make a scene, not with Blackwatch believing him to be dead.

“McMullen told me the thing was supposed to interrupt your biological processes.” He tilted his head. “How was it, being infected with something you couldn't control?”

“Like my own body wanted me dead”, was the reply. “I couldn't stop it, and it only became worse when I was moving. I needed it gone. I needed a _doctor_. A special kind of doctor. And Dana had pointed me at Ragland.”

“Interesting”, Cross furrowed his brows. “I've known that Ragland was the key. So he actually managed to get that cancer out? I did underestimate him.” Maybe he was actually a little glad Blackwatch had no further interest in the man. It would have made contacting Mercer a little tougher if they had whisked the doctor away.

“I would be dead if you had”, Mercer replied. “Or crippled in the very least. I couldn't allow this, so I made sure I got this thing out and killed it.”

An intelligent cancer, ripped from its host. No wonder that guy had been so pissed at the  _Reagan_ .

“After getting my powers back, I returned to Dana”, Mercer continued. “I had fucked some things up and had to correct them with her.” Suddenly, his eyes seemed to flash and his posture turned stiff. “But Greene _took_ her! One of her fucking pets broke down the wall and dragged her out! I chased after it, tried to stop it- but _Blackwatch_ prevented me from taking her back!”

Ah. That was  _that_ . Cross remembered this night. Base after base fell victim to ZEUS, and they lost countless teams. Terror had mounted in the remaining teams, and he had wondered whether this Runner had grown tired of them and just wiped them out because they kept hunting after it. That it suddenly ended came as a surprise to all of them. The reason for this was simply  _human_ : a man agonized through the loss of the only family he still had and who lashed out at everything around him. Just Mercer always had more power to cause real damage.

Mercer had calmed down again. “I didn't know why she had taken Dana. Revenge? Bait for a trap? I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to get her back. That was when I realized that  _something_ was leading the Infected. They are animals, but way too effective. You noticed it too, did you?”

“Yes”, Cross replied. “And after you killed Greene, they suddenly ended up chaotic- much like we do now. She was the focus, wasn't she? She was their general.”

“She lead them through a link shared with all of them. A Hive Mind. I thought, if I consumed Infected minds, I could hack in and find Dana.” He paused, expression changing. “And then I noticed that if I got to Greene, I would be able to stop it all. I still had the parasite weapon. Whatever hurt me, killed Redlight- so I thought if I used it on Greene, I could kill her, stop the Infection altogether. It did work somewhat- the Infection's leaderless, easy to be wiped out” He grimaced. “Just it had gotten a _whole_ lot worse before it got better. I hadn't expected the parasite to _grow,_ neither did I expect it to turn into _that_.”

Cross scoffed. “I noticed. Mommy and Daddy fought each other tooth and nail and baby grows up to become even worse than both of them.” Mercer made a startled noise and stared at Cross, expression downright incredulous that it was hard  _not_ to laugh. He managed to choke it down just in time, though an amused snort still got out. “Don't tell me you haven't realized that thing was using  _your_ powers while looking ugly enough to be one of Greene's.”

Mercer's expression turned downright  _murderous_ . “That thing was not and will never be  _family_ !” He hissed. “The only family I ever had was Dana- and Greene had put her in some sort of coma!”

“Which explains why you don't take control”, Cross added. Mercer blinked at him, anger gone for now. “You're just as much a leader as Greene and the big guy were. Yet you don't take control of them. Especially now, Blackwatch would be easy prey. And with your abilities, you'd be taking over this place in no time.”

“Why should I?” The Runner demanded to know. “Why should I cause another outbreak? These things aren't intelligent, they aren't natural- they are _abominations_. My only concern is Dana.” He paused, voice dropping. “Even though I'm not her brother.” He glanced at Cross. “When you called me, when you told me that I wasn't Mercer, was just the virus he developed- part of me was relieved. Part of me died. Because I wasn't human, but I believed myself to be. Just another role to be played, correct?” He scoffed. “But it gave me the chance to put things together. Hope, Idaho- it had started all of it. You have been an insider, you could give me McMullen, and Randall. Mercer himself was already taken care of, and Greene soon was too. With your help, I managed to end all of this. Nobody will ever use this virus again- but there's still some things left.”

“The child”, Cross noticed. “Greene's child Randall took with him in Idaho.”

“PARIAH”, Mercer agreed. “He's the last of the Hope children, the last of the Infection. Until I have him, until I have all of those who worked at this, who gave the experiments the okay, my work's not finished.”

It all clicked together. “And that's why you came here”, Cross realized. “Not only to tell me you're still alive- but also to-”

“To ask you to keep your eyes open”, Mercer finished. “I need you on the inside of Blackwatch. If you learn anything- _anything_ \- just tell me. I can take care of it, can make sure no suspicion falls on you. But I need the _directions_.”

Of course he did. Cross exhaled through his nose, pinching the back of his nose in frustration. On one hand, Mercer would use him to continuously feed him more of their men. Innocent or not- they were still  _Blackwatch_ , still his brothers in arms. And he would use them to bring all of it down, maybe expose what they've done to the world.

On the other hand, though- he would put an end to this. Blackwatch would still be needed, with all the aggressions cropping up, they still had more than enough work left to do. They didn't need Infections their own bosses cooked up. And if he helped Mercer, then he would be just doing his job. He was working for Blackwatch because he wanted to make sure that no biological weapon was ever used against humanity as a whole. And taking away the chance to do so was the perfect way to do this work.

He groaned in defeat. “Fine. I'm on it.”  _If only to pay them back for Springfield._

“Good” Mercer reached into a pocket of the uniform he was wearing, pulling out two phones. One he handed over, the other he kept. “This one's untraceable and has my number on it”, he told him. “Whatever you find out, let me know, just as I will inform you of what I found.”

“No more secrets, huh?” Cross questioned. “What about you?”

“I don't know. I'll stick around, take out the last Hives and Hunters- and wait for Dana to wake up. And then?” He trailed off, shrugging. He grabbed the helmet and placed it back on his head, glancing at Cross before walking off. “Take care and never turn your back on _anything_.”

* * *

 

Red red red redredredredred- All red and full of voices. No faces, only voices, so many of them, all screaming, all  _dying_ . Someone was cooing, softly, whispering words- but she couldn't understand the words. It all was wrong. She  _feared_ this place. She wanted to go back home. Back to him. Back to where it was safe. But he wasn't here, couldn't rescue her, and now the voices became louder, shrieking and screaming. Massive claws grabbed her, threw her through the endless red, into the sickeningly pulsing walls and against the floor. She felt bones snap, flesh tear, but her voice was hoarse. She couldn't scream anymore, because she had already screamed so much and he couldn't save her. He was gone gone gone gonegone. And she was alone. Alone in the red room with all those voices screaming at her.

She sat up abruptly, eyes wide and heart racing in her chest. A whimper worked itself out of her raw throat as vertigo hit her with full force and she collapsed back, eyes squeezed shut.

Where was she?

There was some sort of stinging feeling at her arm, and the whole world seemed to spin out of control- but she wasn't in the red room anymore. There were no voices, no screaming, no claws, no dying. Was she safe?

Somewhere she heard a door clap and steps approach, and she curled in on herself, shaking and whimpering. The steps stopped and then there was a voice.

“Dana?” Not his voice, but not the screaming voices either. 

She hiccuped and carefully uncurled her body, glancing at whoever had spoken. A man. Dark skin, green scrubs, glasses. But not  _him_ . “W-” she rasped, realizing her throat was dry so she cut herself off with a wheeze.

The man's eyebrows went up and he disappeared suddenly. So suddenly she thought he was a product of her imagination for a moment, until he was back in front of her, holding a Styrofoam cup in his hand. “Here”, he said gently, “I'm sure you're parched.”

She took the offered cup and carefully sipped the contents down, feeling it soothe her aching throat. “Thanks”, she managed to croak out once she was finished, and the man's expression eased up. He looked familiar, but she couldn't really place him. “Who are you?”

“I'm Bradley Ragland”, the man told her. She blinked, then her brain finally caught up. _This guy's Doctor Bradley Ragland. He's uptown. Works at St. Paul's. Runs the morgue there._

“The morgue”, she gasped, “I'm in a morgue?”

Ragland grimaced. “Strictly speaking, yes”, he replied. “But, ah, don't worry. You are here because Alex told me to look after you.”

_Alex!_ “Alex!” Dana gasped, “Where is he?!”

The doctor glanced at her, before his expression fell. “I don't know”, he said slowly. “He had been here a few times, but he had to leave again- to fight the Infection out there.”

“I have to see him”, she demanded. 

Ragland shook his head and gestured to the IV drip still lodged firmly in her arm. “You will not. He told me to look after you and I will only let you go once you have fully recovered.” Then he pulled an energy bar from his pocket and offered it to her. “So you will stay and at least  _eat_ something.”

* * *

 

“ _The city of Manhattan suffered from the first total biological attack. According to first estimations, more than two million people have lost their lives when alleged terrorist Alex J. Mercer released an unknown pathogen on the unsuspecting people of New York. Only thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the men and women of the United States Marine Corps even worse things could be prevented when a nuclear warhead stolen by Mercer exploded fifteen miles off the coast. The terrorist is presumed dead, but the city will remain under military lockdown and quarantine until the infection has been cleared away. Further words from president-”_

“Ah, shut it”, Dana growled, closing the window. Aided by some serious sleeping pills, she had slept through the whole night after Ragland removed the IV drip. Since waking up, she had found the laptop and started working on it, copying the data from the external drive Alex apparently had left with the doctor, watching countless videos he had managed to get. She even managed to get into the news, but they only pissed her off.

Because Alex-  _her_ Alex- he couldn't have done such an atrocity. He couldn't have released the virus. She had told Ragland and Ragland agreed with her, telling her they only needed a scapegoat and her brother had been the one best suited for it. And seeing what he did- seeing what Gentek had done to him- made her sick to the stomach.

Sometimes, there wasn't anything  _human_ about Alex, not when he tore through squads with ease, not when he killed and  _ate_ those Hunters (she always skipped the Leader Hunters. Always. Once she had been too slow and ended up sobbing uncontrollably until Ragland had closed the laptop and just hugged her). But he didn't come back. She knew he was still alive, that he had somehow survived the nuke and was now somewhere in the city- but why didn't he come to get her? Why did he stay away? Was it because...

_NO!_

She shook her head. No, no. No! This couldn't be! This wasn't true! He was just busy, busy ripping those idiots a new one. That was why he wasn't here. Not because of...wasn't he?

She didn't know and now, three days after waking up, she was frustrated and alone. Ragland was always gone, always upstairs to help in the hospital, and she had no-one to talk to. No-one who was simply around.

So when Ragland came down to her to share dinner with her, she eyed him and said sternly “I want to help you. Any way. Just don't make me sit here all alone.”

* * *

 

Hospital work was exhausting, but mind-numbing. Ragland had introduced her as volunteer, and Dana had learnt fast how to help the nurses and doctors. It wasn't much, mostly only checking up on patients, feeding them the rations the military dropped in and cleaning whatever needed cleaning, but at least she had something to do and people to talk to. She wasn't that alone anymore, and had long since relocated into a spare office of the hospital itself, along with Ragland- who was glad not having to walk the stairs the entire time.

Hand-held viral scanners had been brought in during the second week, with which they were supposed to check each and every single person coming in. None of them were infected, none of them afflicted with Redlight, though. But they were traumatized. By the monsters out there, and the soldiers in black.

It angered Dana to no end that these guys were still around, despite what they had done. Despite that it was  _their_ fault the Infection was out there. She wasn't stupid, she had seen the files on that hard drive, and it pissed her off to no end. But she was powerless against them too, so she could only stew in that rage and do nothing. She had spent most nights working the data she had, though she wasn't sure whether it was preferably over tossing and turning in her sleep. She wondered how she could get it out to the world. They  _needed_ to know, but she had no idea how. Blackwatch was censoring the internet, was taking down whatever chat-room she found. She had enough to kick them into the curb, but it wasn't enough to  _protect herself-_ or Alex. Because he had been the head scientist on this entire mess, but the way he was now he couldn't be blamed anymore, could he? He had no memories of his former life, and Blackwatch had been breathing down his neck anyways. She had to find out, that was why she refused to sleep more than a few hours and tried to crack this entire mess.

But it was so tiresome. She sat inside a lounge room, holding a cup of shitty hospital coffee between her fingers. Her brain was a mess. Maybe she should ask somebody for stronger sleeping aids?

Her back bristled slightly with the feeling of being watched, and she lifted her head, glancing at the doctor that stood in the doorway. “What do you want?”

“I would like to speak with you”, the man replied, and she slowly realized that she hadn't seen him around before.

“So?” She became more cautious. “Then out with it.”

The man was silent for a moment, before he shook his head. “Not here. Under for eyes.” Dana's back stiffened and her eyes narrowed. “Regarding  _Blacklight_ ”, the man added and Dana jerked. Blacklight- Blacklight was the thing Alex had been working on.  _Who was that guy?!_

“What do you know about it?” She demanded to know.

“Important details”, he said, “But not for everybody. I would like to talk to you about this, though not here. I'll be waiting on the roof.”

Then he headed out, and Dana was left alone. Her head was buzzing. Who was that guy? Blackwatch?

She didn't like it- but curiosity was eating away at her. That guy had information, or craved information. Whoever it was, whatever it was about, it would only help her understand.

But she didn't storm after him immediately. She first hurried to her room and grabbed the gun Ragland had given her, then starting asking the staff around whether they had seen the stranger walking past them. It was easy following his path, but she still didn't go after him. Instead, she went to look for Ragland, eventually finding him just coming out of the operation theater.

“Somebody just told me to meet him on the roof”, she said breathlessly and as silent as she could. Ragland stiffened, turning cautious.

“Dana- you can't possibly-”

“I'm going to meet him”, she hissed. “But I will not go blindly. If you don't hear directly from me by today night, hide the data. I have a list of friends and contacts- once everything blows over, send them the files.”

“You can't be serious.”

“If this is Blackwatch, I want to know what happened to Alex. I want to know it from _them_. And I am going to make them understand that they can't fuck with me. Not anymore.”

She was still going to let that guy squirm for a few hours.

* * *

 

He was standing with his back to her, looking over the river.

“Hello Dana”

She froze, then her gun came up. “Turn around”, she growled, “Slowly.” He complied, pivoting slowly on his heel to face her. Her eyes narrowed. “Before you open your mouth, tell me- who are you?” He cocked his head and she grit her teeth. “You come in, throwing around things nobody knows and expect me to follow you like a brainless idiot?” She snapped, “Who are you? I know all the doctors in the hospital, and I haven't seen you until now.”

“I'm not Blackwatch”, he told her, If you think this. But I didn't know how else to contact you. Or find out how you're doing.”

That tone- he sounded almost like...she lowered her gun, frowning. Then he suddenly exploded into thousands of tentacles that writhed across his shape, and Dana froze. There was only  _one_ who could do this...but seeing it in  _real_ and not just from some security clip was just so  _surreal_ .

So when the tentacles parted to reveal  _Alex_ , she could only stare dumbly.

“Dana?” His voice sounded worried “Please, don't be scared.”

Holy Shit. This couldn't be. This was just another nightmare...wasn't it? “It's true”, she pressed out, staring at him. “Holy fuck. All of it is true.” _He can assume every shape, can be every person. Can infiltrate any position. Threat level: High._

“What is true, Dana?” He sounded alarmed, eyes wide.

“What Blackwatch had in their files”, she just lamely mumbled. “It's all true- you _murder_ people and take their _faces_ , Alex.” _The people I've killed, they're in me._ He had been right. Hadn't lied back then. Fuck, she's seen the clips, she's seen the files, the pictures. Alex could not only steal someone's face, he also took their memories, became them in every sense of the word.

What had Gentek done to him?

“It's true”, he admitted, “But I also took their memories. All that was them.”

“Why?” Because this was hands down _terrifying_. This was not natural- what had Gentek planned?

Did they plan for him to have those powers?

“Because I had to”, he said slowly, and his tone shifted. He had murdered so many people, stole their very _identities_ because he _needed to_. “Because they had caused it. They hid the truth- I found it. I found all of it. I know what they did.” The scary thing? If he already was this fucked up in the head that he thought killing and eating peoples for their brains was the only logical course of action, then Gentek and Blackwatch must have been several levels above him in fucked-upness. “I made them pay for what they've done”, Alex growled lowly, hatred seeping into his every word. “Greene was a test subject. They used her to cook up viral weapons. Randall- he could have stopped all of this in Idaho. He could have killed her back then, but he didn't. Instead they took her- and you see what happened.”

“Yeah”, She scoffed when it settled. Because what was going on was the fault of Blackwatch. “Manhattan's dead. Millions are dead because of them.” Residents, workers, tourists- all of them who got locked in the military quarantine. Three million people affected, Two and a half of them dead. But...hadn't _Alex_ been in on it? Hadn't he been on the company too? “What about you?” She asked, “You worked for Gentek. You worked for them.”

Alex slowly shook his head, looking downright...sad. “Mercer's been a puppet in their game too. But he had been a wildcard. Couldn't be controlled.” He paused, then added “I don't know whether he'd been the one to make everything worse or the only one with a solution to this.” His voice was shaking slightly. “Without him- without his work, there would have been nothing to stop Greene.”

Dana's head snapped up when what he said settled in. “Alex”, she demanded to know. “You said 'he', not 'I'. You're talking about yourself in the third person- what's going on?”

His entire stance changed. His shoulders slumped, and he looked away from her, looking at his feet instead as he lightly shuffled them. “I'm not him”, he whispered, but to her it was endlessly loud. “I'm not Alex Mercer. I never was. I am  _Blacklight_ . The thing he made. The thing...that took his face when he died at Penn Station.”

Dana was swaying, feeling like the ground had been pulled out from beneath her and she was in free fall. Towards somewhere dark. No, no. This couldn't be. Because this made  _sense_ . Now everything made sense what she'd seen. “It's true”, she groaned, and a lump formed in her throat. “All of it. I've been such an idiot.”  _And in denial. Because I didn't want it to be true._

“Dana?”

“I've seen the files”, she sobbed and her throat constricted. “All of them. From the beginning to the end. I've seen the records. I've seen”, she swallowed and tears welled up in her eyes. “Blackwatch shoot him. I've seen them kill him.” The clips from Penn Station, buried deeper than most other files. “But I've thought that maybe they missed. Maybe they've missed his vitals” She remembered him throwing something, then there were the shots and blood. And Alex- her _brother_ collapsed to the ground like a sack potatoes. There hadn't been any elegance in it, he just reeled over and stayed down. “God, I've been so stupid.” 

She could only laugh about her own stupidity. “Oh God, I should have known.  _Blackwatch_ knew. They had it all in their files- and when you weren't there when I woke up with Ragland, I figured you discovered it too. It was all there- but I didn't want to believe any of it.”

“You _knew_?!” He blurted out, expression startled and open.

Dana nodded. She had  _known_ . She had long since realized it. But her denial didn't want to realize it. Didn't want to know that her  _big brother_ was dead and gone, and his own creation was now inside his corpse, plucking strings like a puppet player. She had known. “Not really”, she whispered, “But I should have pieced it together. Alex died in Penn Station- you appear at my doorsteps with no memories; but at the same time, you can take others'- as long they are still alive when you take them.” Faces and memories stolen, why should it only apply to people who are not Alex? “I've seen the videos of you transforming, shrugging off damage like it was nothing- of you taking somebody's form.” Why stop at Alex? 

“This- this isn't Infected behavior. You aren't infected. You _are_ the Infection.” She buried her face behind her hands. “But I didn't _want_ it to be true. I only wanted us to be together again, like old times. Before yo- _he_ \- went away and became like mom.” _I only wanted my brother back. My big brother who always protected me, who made sure I had food and toys, even if it meant nothing for him. My big brother who had raised me, who had always been there. Who taught me how to ice skate, who held me when we were watching a scary movie. He's dead now._

The silence that settled on the roof was louder than any yelling could ever be. He stood there, looking lost, and she was crying. But the sound of him shifting drew her attention. He had his back to her, was walking towards the roof's edge. “Wher- where are you going?”

“I don't know”, he replied. “Away.”

“Away?”

“From you”, he said and his tone was _dead_. “From Manhattan. From _people_. I'm not like you. I don't belong here. I need to find out _where_ I belong. If at all.”

“I just got you back!” She more or less shouted, tears trailing down her cheeks.

He looked at her, expression downcast. “You didn't. You got a thing back that stole your brother's face.”

“No”, she bit out, determination burning away the grief about the news. “I got _you_ back. It was _you_ who rescued me from that Blackwatch Fucker. It was _you_ who kept Blackwatch off my tail. It was _you_ who chased that monster down to get me back. And Ragland told me it was _you_ who rescued me _and_ killed Greene.” She was closing the distance between them, eyes fierce and determined. “I told you before- no matter what, you are still my brother. You _believed_ you were him. You _wanted_ to be my brother. Family isn't just determined by blood, Alex. Family is always there for you. And you were there for me.” She paused. “I don't want you to leave me alone again.”

He frowned, but there was relief etched into his features as well. “If you decide to stay with me, you will never be safe from Blackwatch”, he warned her. “Whatever I do will affect you as well.”

“Blackwatch had been on my ass even before this whole shit happened”, she bit out. Before he got up and walked out of Gentek. “And if you are around, I have a better chance at fighting back.” She just wrapped her arms around him in a hug, feeling him going rigid as she buried her face against his chest, wiping off the tears. “We are in this together Alex. You and I. We will figure out what to do. _Together_.”

Her heart leapt into her throat when he returned the hug, and his deep voice rumbled through her bones. “Together, then.”

 


End file.
